1891.] Recent Literature. 263 
make them most difficult of control. The danger may be imagined should 
an elephant absolutely run away with his rider in a dense forest ; if the 
unfortunate person should be in a howdah, he would probably be swept 
off and killed by the intervening branches, or torn to shreds by the 
tangled thorns, many of which are armed with steel-like hooks. 
‘* It is impossible to train all elephants alike, and very few can be 
rendered thoroughly trustworthy ; the character must be born in them 
if they are to approach perfection. 
‘t Our present perfect example should be quite impassive, and should 
take no apparent notice of anything, but obey his mahout with the 
regularity of a machine. No noise should disturb the nerves, no sight 
terrify, no attack for one moment shake the courage ; even the crack- 
ling of fire should be unheeded, although the sound of high grass 
blazing and exploding before the advancing line of fire tries the nerves 
of elephants more than any other danger. 
‘“ An elephant should march with an easy swinging pace at the rate 
of five miles an hour, or even six miles within that time upon a good 
flat road. As a rule, the females have an easier pace than the large 
males. When the order to stop is given, instead of hesitating, the ele- 
phant should instantly obey, remaining rigidly still without swinging 
the head or flapping the ears, which is its annoying and inveterate 
habit. The well-trained animal should then move backward or for- 
ward, either one or several paces, at a sign from the mahout, and then 
at once become as rigid as a rock. : 
“Should the elephant be near a tiger, it will generally know the posi- 
tion of the enemy by its keen sense of smell. If the tiger should sud- 
denly charge from some dense covert with the usual short loud but roar, 
the elephant ought to remain absolutely still to receive the onset, and 
to permit a steady aim from the person in the howdah. This is a very 
rare qualification, but most necessary in a good shikar elephant. Some 
tuskers will attack the tiger, which is nearly as bad a fault as running in 
the opposite direction ; but the generality, even if tolerably steady, 
will swing suddenly upon one side, and thus interrupt the steadiness of 
the aim. : 
“ The elephant should never exercise its own will, but ought to wait 
in all cases for the instructions of the mahout, and then obey imme- 
described might be worth in India about £ 1 
but there may be some great native sportsmen 
that amount for such an example of perfection,—which would combine 
