298  § TRAVELS TO DISCOVER: 
light, and agile, both on horfeback and foot ; are very fwar- 
thy, though few of them black; none of them woolly-head- 
ed,and all of them have European features. ‘They are call- i 
ed Agageer, aname of their profeflion, not of their nation, 
- which comes from the word Agar, and fignifies to hough or 
ham-ftring with a fharp. weapon. More properly it means, 
indeed, the cutting the tendon of the heel, and is a charac- 
teriftic of the manner, in which they kill the elephant, which 
is fhortly as follows :—Two men, abfolutely naked, without 
any rag or covering at all about them, get on horfeback ; 
this precaution is from fear of being laid hold of by the 
trees or bufhes, in making their efcape from a very watch- 
fulenemy. One of thefe riders fits upon the back of the 
horfe, fometimes with a faddle, and fometimes without one, 
with only a fwitch or fhort ftick in one hand, carefully ma- 
naging the bridle with the other; behind him. fits his 
campanion, who has no other arms but a broad-fword, 
fuch as is ufed by the Sclavonians, and which is brought 
from Triefte. His left hand is employed grafping the fword 
by the handle, and about fourteen inches of the blade is 
covered with whip-cord. This part he takes in his right 
hand, without any danger of being hurt by it; and, though 
the edges of the lower part of the {word are as fharp as a 
razor, he carries it without a fcabbard. ei 
As foon.as the elephant is found feeding, the horfeman = 
rides before him as near his face as poflible ; or, if he flies, 
croffes him in all directions, crying out, “Iam fuch a 
man and fuch a man; this is my horfe, that has fuch a- 
name; I killed your father in fuch a place, and your 
grandfather in fuch another place, and l1~am now come 
to kill you; you are but an afs in comparifon of them.” 
This. 
