296 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



the stables. On the way we passed a detached building. 

 It was a sort of shed, with thick walls and tiled roof, 

 and very lofty ; it was partly open in front, and the 

 opening was fitted with a pair of folding gates formed 

 of very massive upright wooden bars. It was near 

 sunset, and the building, facing north or east, seemed 

 dark within. As we passed, out of curiosity I stepped 

 aside to the gates, and looked through the bars to see 

 what lay behind them. I confess that as I did so I 

 started, and moved back ; for behind the bars, only a 

 few paces off, stood the very largest elephant I ever 

 beheld, and in the half-light of the shed he looked even 

 more gigantic than perhaps he really was. His tusks, 

 too, were in proportion to his stature : they seemed at 

 least six or seven feet long. As I placed my face to the 

 bars the elephant made a movement forward, and it was 

 then I retreated, for I felt by no means certain that if 

 he stretched out his trunk he might not reach me. I 

 subsequently learnt that he was the champion of the 

 fighting elephants, and was considered to be the largest 

 and most powerful elephant then in all India. 



I will conclude this account of the elephant-fights by 

 mentioning that in the days of the emperors they were 

 held at Agra and Delhi on some place on the sands, 

 between the palace and the river. The space required 

 for the contests was very large, and was enclosed by a 

 lofty palisade formed of the strongest timbers. The 

 exact part of the sands selected I could never clearly 

 determine from the descriptions of the early travellers. 



Under the native rule, and especially under the 

 Mahomedan emperors, the elephants were frequently 



