Elephantiana. 167 



never seems to notice a man as long as he is on 

 another elephant's back. 



The koomkies manage to place themselves on 

 either side of the male, and by degrees sidle him 

 close to a tree. One of the mahouts then slips 

 quietly to the ground, and while his koomkie and 

 her companion are distracting their victim's attention, 

 he passes strong cords round the animal's ankles, and 

 then makes them fast to a tree. The koomkies will 

 often aid him in this part of the work by taking the 

 ropes in their trunks, and passing them to their 

 master's hand as he wants them. 



A similar process is then pursued with the forelegs, 

 and then the treacherous koomkies suddenly slip off, 

 leaving their dupe fast bound to the tree. 



Sometimes, before the ropes are firmly tied, the 

 elephant becomes suspicious and tries to escape. 

 The koomkies employ all their blandishments to lull 

 his suspicions; but if he should still resist, and be 

 too strong for them, a powerful male is summoned 

 to their help, and all three beat him and hustle him 

 about until he is quite bewildered, and at last is held 

 firmly against the tree where the mahout is ready with 

 his ropes. 



In either case, the duped elephant is left alone, his 

 vast strength paralyzed in some mysterious manner, 

 and his struggles for freedom only resulting in pain. 

 Those who have witnessed these struggles say that 

 the contortions into which a bound elephant will 

 fling its body are almost incredible. It rolls over and 

 over, it rises itself on its hind feet, butts at the tree 

 and tries to knock it down, uttering all the time its 

 screams of mingled terror and anger. 



After a w r hile comes another feeling. It can neither 

 eat nor drink, and the pangs of hunger and thirst are 

 felt. At first, it seems to resent the unwonted feeling, 



