202 MODERN PIG-STICKING 



We enticed the elephant out, one rider halting 

 till he came up, and then galloping off with the 

 elephant in pursuit. 



There were three elephant - catchers — two with 

 white cloths, the third with a huge pair of pincers 

 (chimta), circular, studded with spikes on the inside, 

 actuated by a strong spring and kept open by a clip. 

 The elephant was now in a grove of trees. The 

 flagmen enticed him to charge them, but they always 

 dodged him as he came screaming at them. The 

 pincer-man ran in rear of the elephant, seized his 

 opportunity, put the pincers round a hind leg and 

 released the clip. The pincers closed like a rat- 

 trap, and the elephant pulled up at once, dead lame 

 and beaten. The men handled the brute for ten 

 minutes with sharp bamboos, and then they climbed 

 up his tail. Norton and C also got up at once. 

 We rode him home. I forget the name of the lady 

 he carried at that meeting. He killed the mahout 

 this year. 



At the Kadir Cup, and at various times when 

 shooting with Sir John Hewett, I used to meet an 

 old mahout called Hiddan Khan. This man, when 

 out with Mr. Wild, I.C.S., was the hero of a remark- 

 able adventure with an elephant. I asked my friend 

 for details. 



Mr. Wild writes : 



It was the Christmas of 1902, up at Rampur Chata in 

 Bijnor, and the only people out were Swann, my " joint," 

 my wife, and myself. 



The elephant was a big tusker, the only tusker we had 

 out. He went " must " after we had finished shooting 

 and dismissed the line to cut " chara." We heard nothing 

 about it till shortly before dinner, when the servants reported 

 that the elephant had gone " must," and could not be got 



