THE ELEPHANT OF INDIA. 



Bishop Heber, in his approach to Dacca, saw a number of elephants enjoying themselves in tliis 

 way, which he thus narrates : "At a distance of about half a mile from those desolate pabtOM, sound 

 struck my ear, as if from the water itself on which we were riding, the most solemn and singular I can 

 conceive. It was long, loud, deep, and tremulous, something between the blowing c.f a whiile, or, perhaps, 

 more like those roaring buoys which are placed in the mouths of some English harbours in which the 

 winds make a noise to warn ships off them. < Oh,' said Abdallah, ' there are elephants baUiing ; Dacca 



THE 1IECOY KLKl'llAJiTS. 



much place for elephant.' I looked immediately, and saw about twenty ol these fine animals, with 

 their heads and trunks just appearing above the water. Their bellowing it was which I had heard, and 

 which the water conveyed to us with a finer effect than if we had been on shore." 

 Somerville thus describes the capture of the elephant : 



;l On distant Ethiopia's sunburnt coasts, 

 The black inhabitants a pitfall frame, 

 With slender poles the wide, capacious mouth, 

 And hurdles slight, they close; o'er these is spread 

 A floor of verdant turf, with all its flowers 

 Smiling delusive, and from strictest search 

 Concealing the deep grave that yawns below. 

 Then boughs of trees they cut, with tempting fruit 

 Of various kinds surcharged the downy peach, 

 The clustering vine, and of bright golden rind 

 The fragrant orange. Soon as evening gray 

 Advances slow, besprinkling all around 

 With kind, refreshing dews the thirsty globe, 

 The stately elephant from the closest shade 



The cooler breeze, that from the sea-beat shore 



Delightful breathes, or in the limpid stream 



To lave his panting sides ; joyous he scents 



The rich repast, unweeting of the death 



That lurks within. And soon he sporting breaks 



The brittle boughs, and greedily devours 



The fruit delicious. Ah ! too dearly bought ; 



The price is life. For now the treacherous tuif 



Trembling gives way ; and the unwieldy beast, 



Self-sinking, drops into the dark profound. 



So, when dilated vapours, struggling, leave 



Th' incumbent earth ; if chance the caverned ground 



Shrinking subside, and the thin surface yield, 



Down sinks at once the ponderous dome, engulfed 



With all its towers." 



With step majestic strides, eager to taste 



In tke forests of India, all the males do not remain with the herd, some of them wandering to a 

 distance. The natives who wish to capture one of these, secure their object by means of female decoy 

 elephants, as shown in the accompanying illustration. 



This method is worthy of further notice. In the middle of a forest, where these animals are known 

 to abound, a large piece of ground is marked out, and surrounded with strong stakes driven into the 

 earth, interwoven with branches of trees. One end of this inclosure is narrow, and it gradually widens 

 till it takes in a great extent of country. Several thousand men are employed to surround the herd 

 of elephants, and to prevent their escape ; they kindle large fires at certain distances, and, by hallooing, 



VOL. II. -5 



