THE KING'S MAHOUT 31 



where, tested the rear guard to its utmost and must 

 have given the king's mahout at least a few uncom- 

 fortable moments. At length, however, the kraal 

 gate closed on the last elephant, and Choo had 

 brought his part of the royal hunt to a successful 

 conclusion. 



The Ayuthia elephant kraal was built over one 

 hundred years ago, not long after the seat of the 

 Siamese Government had been moved from this 

 ancient capital to Bangkok. It is an enclosure 

 about two hundred feet square, surrounded by a 

 brick wall averaging perhaps fourteen to fifteen 

 feet in thickness, with a height of nine feet. On 

 each side is a parapet forming an excellent prome- 

 nade under the shade of some large trees. About 

 twenty feet inside the brick wall is a smaller en- 

 closure made of huge teak logs, planted firmly, so 

 as to leave just space enough between every two 

 for a man to squeeze through, and standing above 

 the ground full twelve feet. In the centre of the 

 kraal is a little house strongly surrounded by logs, 

 which sometimes the superintendent in charge uses 

 to direct the selection of elephants to be caught, 

 and sometimes becomes a house of refuge; and 

 always it serves to break up the herd rounded about 

 it. Three sides of this great square are reached by 

 steps and open to the public. Along one side of 

 the wall and over the centre of it is a covered plat- 



