ELEPHANTS. 283 



hind-legs are tied by men who slip to the ground for the purpose. 

 A rope is then secured round each captive's neck and to its hind- 

 legs, and it is led out and picketed in the forest near. . . . New 

 elephants are trained as follows : — They are first tied between 

 two trees, and are rubbed down by a number of men with long 

 bamboos, to an accompaniment of the most extravagant eulogies 

 of the animal, sung or shouted at it at the top of their voices. The 

 animal, of course, lashes out furiously at first ; but in a few days 

 it ceases to act on the offensive, or, as natives say, ' shurum lugia 

 haV It becomes ashamed of itself, and it then stands with its 

 trunk curled up, shrinking from the men. Eopes are now tied 

 round its body, and it is mounted at its picket for several days. 

 It is then taken out for exercise, secured between two tame 

 elephants. The ropes still remain round its body to enable the 

 mahout to hold on should the elephant try to shake him off. A 

 man precedes it with a spear to teach it to halt when ordered to 

 do so ; whilst as the tame elephants wheel to the right or left the 

 mahout presses its neck with his knees, and taps it on the head 

 with a small stick to train it to turn in the required direction. 

 To teach an elephant to kneel, it is taken into water five feet deep, 

 when the sun is hot, and upon being pricked on the back with a 

 pointed stick it soon hes down, partly to avoid the pain, partly 

 from inclination for a bath. By taking it into shallower water 

 daily it is soon taught to kneel even on land. 



" Elephants are taught to pick up anything from the ground by 

 a rope, with a piece of wood attached, being dangled over their 

 foreheads, near to the ground. The wood strikes against 

 their trunk and fore-feet, and to avoid the discomfort the 

 elephant soon takes it in his trunk, and carries it. It even- 

 tually learns to do this without a rope being attached to the 



object.'' 



With the exception, we are told, of elephants that come from 

 Burmah or Siam, almost every animal to be seen in India has 

 been wild at one time ; the reason assigned for their not being 

 bred while in captivity is that the young ones would have to be 

 kept for ten years before being of any service, and by that 

 time the expenditure for food alone would exceed their value, 



