CAPTURE OF THE ELEPHANT. 737 



The inclosure into which the Elephants are driven is termed a " keddah," and is 

 ingeniously constructed of stout logs and posts, which are supported by strong buttresses, 

 and are so arranged that a man can pass through the interstices between the logs. 

 When the keddah is set in good order, a vast number of hunters form themselves into a 

 huge circle, inclosing one or more herds of Elephants, and moving gradually towards the 

 inclosure of the keddah, and arranging themselves in such a manner as to leave the 

 entrance towards the keddah always open. When they have thus brought the herd to 

 the proper spot, a business which will often consume several weeks, the Elephants are 

 excited by shouts, the waving of hands and spears, etc., to move towards the inclosure, 

 which is cunningly concealed by the trees among which it is built. If the operation 

 should take place at night, the surrounding hunters are supplied with burning torches, 

 while the keddah is carefully kept in darkness. Being alarmed by the noise and the 

 flames, the Elephants rush instinctively to the only open space, and are thus fairly 

 brought within the precints of the keddah, from which they never emerge again save 

 as captives. 



The terrified animals run round and round the inclosure, and often attempt a des- 

 perate charge, but are always driven back by the torch-bearers, who wave their flaming 

 weapons, and discourage the captured animals from their meditated assault. At last 

 the poor creatures are so bewildered and fatigued, that they gather together in the centre 

 of the keddah, and are then considered to be ready for the professional Elephant-hunters. 

 These courageous men enter the keddah either on foot or upon the backs of their 

 koomkies, and contrive to tie every one of the captives to some spot from whence it 

 cannot move. Most ingenious stratagems are employed by the hunters in this perilous 

 task, the details of which may be found in many works on the subject. 



When the natives hunt the Elephant merely for the sake of his ivory or his flesh, and 

 do not care to take him alive, they achieve their object by stealing cautiously upon him 

 as he dozes ,and by gently tickling one of his hind-feet with a slight twig they induce 

 him to lift the foot from the ground. As soon as he does so, the hunters, who are 

 furnished with a mallet and a sharp wooden spike about eight inches in length, drive 

 the spike into his foot, and effectually lame him with a single blow. He is then quite 

 at their disposal, and is easily despatched. The flesh of the Elephant is thought to 

 be very poor indeed ; but the heart, the tongue, the trunk, and the foot, are considered 

 to be good eating if properly dressed. 



The " points " of a good Elephant are as important in India and Ceylon as those of a 

 horse in Europe. In a native work upon the Elephant quoted by Sir E. Tennent, the 

 points are given as follows: " The softness of the skin, the red color of the mouth and 

 tongue, the forehead expanded and full, the ears large and rectangular, the trunk broad 

 at the root, and blotched with pink in front, the eyes light and kindly, the cheeks large, 

 the neck full, the back level, the chest square, the fore-legs short and convex in front, 

 the hind quarters plump, five nails in each foot, all smooth, elastic, and round. 

 An Elephant with all these perfections will impart glory and magnificence to the 

 king." 



The herds in which these animals congregate are not of very great size, containing 

 only from ten to twenty or thirty individuals, and consisting, as is generally thought 

 by men of practical experience, of members of the same family. This opinion is 

 strengthened by the fact that certain physical peculiarities, such as the shape of the 

 trunk or the head, have been found in every number of the same herd. Sometimes these 

 herds will associate with each other for a time, but at the smallest alarm each little 

 flock assembles together independently of the others. It is rather remarkable that a 

 whole herd has never been known to charge a foe simultaneously. The leader generally 

 faces the enemy, while the remainder of the herd manoeuvre in his rear ; but that the 

 entire herd should unite in a charge, is a circumstance never yet known to occur. The 

 Asiatic Elephant will permit the temporary society of other animals, and may be seen 

 at a fountain or feeding on an open space in close proximity to deer and wild buffaloes, 

 neither animal displaying any aversion to or fear of the other. 



In its general habits the Elephant is restless and irritable, or rather " fidgety," never 

 remaining quite still, but always in motion in some way or other. At one time it will 



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