116 INCIDENTS WHILST SECURING THE CAPTIVES. 



The ropes were changed from one leg to another every day, otherwise 

 the wounds made by them would have been very serious. AVhilst this was 

 being done it was necessary for a tame elephant to stand near the wild one, 

 as it became alarmed on seeinir men on foot near. We were much troul)led 

 by maggots in the wounds of tlie new elephants. In a few hours after thoy 

 were dressed they would swarm again. The animals kicked up sand and 

 blew it upon their sores to keep off the flies ; this sopped up the oil and 

 dressings we applied, and tlie chafing of the ropes was much more severe 

 when sand got under them. The mahouts used various substances, as lime, 

 tobacco, the juice of certain plants, &c., to kill the maggots ; but they were 

 unfortunately all agents of an irritating nature, and though fatal to the 

 maggots, were far from conducive to the healing of the wounds. I have 

 since found camphorated turpentine a valuable remedy. On the present 

 occasion, with a bucket of margosa oil (called also ncmi oil, most offensive 

 in smell, and deterrent to flies) at hand, and a moj) for applying it, the men 

 managed in about a month to heal their elephants' wounds. 



During the tying-up process in the kheddah several amusing incidents 

 occurred. Active fellows would constantly cross it on foot with ropes or 

 other things that were required, and at first they were pertinaciously chased 

 by the wild ones. The men made for the protection of the tame elephants, 

 and it was considered creditable to do this with as little hurry as circum- 

 stances would admit. The arena formed a centre of attraction to the on- 

 lookers, as the tlieatre of a Spanish bull fight may do, and the men who showed 

 the greatest coolness were loudly applauded. The elephants, however, soon 

 gave up pursuing when they became accustomed to seeing people. Tlie 

 wild ones did not attempt to interfere witli the men when they gained the 

 shelter of the tame elephants. On one occasion a friend in the Forest 

 Department, who was riding one of our elephants, was swept off, as well as 

 the mahout, by an overhanging creeper, when their elephant was dragging 

 a captive across the kheddah. Having but a confused idea of the points of 

 the compass when they gained their legs, they rushed toward the nearest 

 elephant for protection. It was a very fine animal, but unfortunatel}' a 

 wild one, wliich they mistook for a friend ! The elephant was rather star- 

 tled and did not take so prompt an advantage of their mistake as it niiglit 

 have done. They meanwhile made some remarkably good time towards the 

 gate of the enclosure, wliich they reached in safety. 



The largest tusker amongst the captives began to be troublesome a day 

 or two after the herd was impounded. He would approacli our elephants 

 as if to measure his strength witli tlieirs. A ])rod with a long spear in tlie 

 head kept him off at first, but the novelty of that treatment wore away, so 



