1 8 The Life of an Elephant 



was interesting to wander through the abode 

 of a self-supporting community such as this. 

 There was not a man amongst them who 

 could not have wrested a living from nature ; 

 the village fields and the wide forests supplied 

 the raw material for every necessity of life ; the 

 conversion of this material into products fit 

 for use was carried out more or less in each 

 household. Of domestic animals there were few. 

 The buffaloes, but half-tamed and with horns 

 so enormous that heads were held sideways 

 when secured under one yoke, dragged the 

 ploughs through the muddy rice-fields or drew 

 the carts along the jungle tracks. Their coming 

 was heralded with the most appalling and dis- 

 cordant sounds, intentionally caused by the 

 grinding of wooden axles in wooden wheels, 

 and designed to drive off hostile beasts or 

 spirits. When the light work of a few months 

 was over, the buffaloes were driven into the 

 forest, to be rounded up when wanted, often 

 to the danger of the limbs or even lives of 

 the owners. 



The rice, when harvested, was husked by the 



