THE ELEPHANT. 143 



Method of catching wild elephants. 



beats the ground with his trunk, and exhibits 

 evident marks of displeasure ; and if they conti- 

 nue to advance he will immediately attack and 

 gore them with his tusks ; for which reason they 

 take care to make a timely retreat. But should 

 he be amorously disposed, as is generally the 

 case, he allows the seducers to approach, and 

 sometimes advances to meet them. 



" When, from these appearances, the hunters 

 judge that he will become their prize, they con- 

 duct two of the females, one on each side close 

 to him, and make them press gently with their 

 posteriors against his neck and shoulders; and 

 the third female, being brought forward, places 

 herself directly across his tail. In this situation, 

 instead of suspecting any design against his 

 liberty, the goondah begins to toy with the fe- 

 males, and caress them with his trunk. While 

 he is thus employed, the fourth female is brought 

 near; and the proper assistants creeping under 

 the belly of the third female, put a slight cord 

 round the hind legs of the goondah'. should he 

 move, it is easily broken ; in which case, if he 

 does not appear suspicious of what is going for- 

 ward, the hunters proceed to tie his legs with a 

 strong cord, called the b-undah, which is passed 

 alternately from one leg to another, and as these 

 ropes are short, six or eight are commonly em-- 

 ployed, for the convenience of being more readily 

 put round his legs ; and they are made fast by 

 another cord, which is passed a few turns perpen- 

 6 



