THE KING'S MAHOUT 35 



Sometimes the mahout drops to the ground 

 under cover of his tusker and slips the noose ; and 

 it is not so easy as it reads. The elephant's foot 

 must be caught off the ground before the noose is 

 thrown, and sluggish as he seems, the elephant 

 kicks like chain lightning ; the kick of a mule is a 

 love pat by comparison. It is a curious but sub- 

 stantiated fact that, while at times there is much 

 fighting, with mahouts, tame tuskers and the wild 

 elephants in mixed melee, it is rare that a mahout, 

 so long as he is mounted, is injured. Although the 

 mahouts could easily be pulled off their perches, 

 the wild elephants never make even an attempt to 

 do so in the kraal; but the dismounted mahout 

 needs to look out for both trunk and feet. Acci- 

 dents are rare, although sometimes when the ele- 

 phants are being driven out one will break away 

 and require a great deal of prodding and rough 

 handling before brought back into the herd. 

 Sometimes in little groups of twos or threes ele- 

 phants will rush at the shifting spectators who 

 crowd near them; for the Siamese are rather fond 

 of running up, by way of a dare, to an elephant 

 coming out of the narrow gateway and dodging its 

 short-lived pursuit before the mahouts head it back 

 into the herd. This is not so dangerous a game 

 as it sounds, for the elephant is by no means the 

 swiftest thing on earth and a man can easily dodge 



