162 
MAMMALIA. 
[Chap. V. 
that they at length venture to remove him to their own 
village, or to the sea-side for shipment to India. 
No part of the hunter's performances exhibits greater 
skill and audacity than this first forced march of the 
recently captured elephant from the great central forests 
to the sea-coast. As he is still too morose to submit to 
be ridden, and as it would be equally impossible to 
lead or to drive him by force, the ingenuity of the 
captors is displayed in alternately irritating and eluding 
him, but always so attracting his attention as to allure 
him along in the direction in which they want him to 
go. Some assistance is derived from the rope by which 
the original capture was effected, and which, as it serves 
to make him safe at night, is never removed from the 
leg till his taming is sufficiently advanced to permit of 
his being entrusted with partial liberty. 
In Ceylon the principal place for exporting these 
animals to India is Manaar, on the western coast, to 
which the Arabs from the continent resort, bringing 
with them horses to be bartered for elephants. In order 
to reach the sea, open plains must be traversed, across 
which it requires the utmost courage, agility, and pa- 
tience of the Moors to coax their reluctant charge. At 
Manaar the elephants are usually detained till any 
wound on the leg caused by the rope has been healed, 
when the shipment is effected in the most primitive 
manner. It being next to impossible to induce the still 
untamed creature to walk on board, and no mechanical 
contrivances being provided to ship him ; a dhoney, or 
native boat, of about forty tons' burthen, and about 
three parts filled with the strong ribbed leaves of the 
Palmyra palm, is brought alongside the quay in front of 
the Old Dutch Fort, and lashed so that the gunwale 
