298 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



light, and agile, both on horfeback and foot ; are very fwar- 

 thy, though few of them black; none of them woolly- head- 

 ed, and all of them have European features. They are call- 

 ed Agageer, a name of their profeffion, not of their nation, 

 which comes from the word Agar, and fignifies to hough or 

 ham-ftring with a fliarp weapon. More properly it means, 

 indeed, the cutting the tendon of the heel, and is a charac- 

 teriftic of the manner in which they kill the elephant, which 

 is fliortly as foUov/s : — Two men, abfolutely naked, without 

 any rag or covering at all about them, get on horfeback ; 

 this precaution is from fear of being laid hold of by the 

 trees or buflies, in making their efcape from a very watch- 

 ful enemy. One of thefe riders fits upon the back of the 

 horfe, fometimes with a faddle, and fometimes without one, 

 with only a fwitch or lliort flick in one hand, carefully ma- 

 naging the bridle with the other ; behind him fits his 

 campanion, who has no other arms but a broad-fword, 

 fuch as is ufed by the Sclavonians, and which is brought 

 from Triefte. His left hand is employed grafping the fword 

 by the handle, and about fourteen inches of the blade is 

 covered with whip-cord. This part he takes in his right 

 hand, without any danger of being hurt by it ; and, though 

 the edges of the lower part of the fword are as lliarp as a 

 razor, he carries it without a fcabbard. 



As foon as the elephant is found feeding, the horfeman 

 rides before him as near his face as pofTible ; or, if he flies, 

 crolTes him in all directions, crying out, " I am fuch a 

 man and fuch a man ; this is my horfe, that has fuch a 

 name ; I killed your father in fuch a place, ajid your 

 grandfather in fuch another place, and 1 am now come 

 to kill you ; you are but an afs in comparifon of them." 



This 



