234 ELEPHANT CATCHING. 



of the jungle. We followed them leisurely, and they were 

 generally beyond our view. But as we rode about two 

 hours in their wake, and became tired of the back of ex- 

 citement, we hurried up, so that we could keep them in 

 sight. We had scarcely done this when one of the ma- 

 houts called out to us to halt, as wild elephants were seen 

 ahead. Our sturdy bull obeyed the voice of the mahout, 

 and stopped, when we became all eyes to see what was 

 being effected in front. 



The mahouts had quickly dismounted upon catching 

 Bight of the game, and the tame elephants, understanding 

 their business, ran forward to greet the wild members of 

 their tribe. The cunning drivers then took a circuitous 

 path to reach the group, and we lost them in the thicket. 

 Our Parsee host now directed our mahout to drive up 

 slowly, so that we might have an opportunity of seeing the 

 mode of effecting the capture, but also insisted on the 

 necessity of our concealing the elephant as much as pos- 

 sible beneath the foliage. Our driver was skilful, and he 

 secured us a position in the jungle where the elephant was 

 hidden from the view of distant eyes, yet from which we 

 could see the whole party of elephants. Our host in- 

 formed us that the wild animals consisted of a bull and 

 two young cows. Our females went up to the bull, and 

 began to fondle and caress him with a singular show of 

 affection. He was completely deceived, and appeared 



