Chap. V.] 



THE ELEPHANT. 



161 



who is engaged in making fast the rope, a movement 

 which it is the duty of his colleague to prevent by run- 

 ning up close to the elephant's head and provoking the 

 animal to confront him by irritating gesticulations and 

 taunting shouts of dah! dah! a monosyllable, the sound 

 of which the elephant peculiarly dislikes. Meanwhile the 

 first assailant, having secured one noose, comes up from 

 behind with another, with which, amidst the vain rage 

 and struggles of the victim, he entraps a fore leg, the 

 rope being, as before, secured to another tree in front, 

 and the whole four feet having been thus entangled, the 

 capture is completed. 



A shelter is then run up with branches, to protect 

 their prisoner from the sun, and the hunters proceed to 

 build a wigwam for themselves in front of him, kindling 

 their fires for cooking, and making all the necessary ar- 

 rangements for remaining day and night on the spot to 

 await the process of subduing and taming his rage. In 

 my journeys through the forest I have come unexpec- 

 tedly on the halting place of adventurous hunters when 

 thus engaged ; and on one occasion, about sunrise, in 

 ascending the steep ridge from the bed of the Malwatte 

 river, the foremost rider of our party was suddenly 

 driven back by a furious elephant, which we found 

 picketed by two Panickeas on the crest of the bank. In 

 such a position, the elephant soon ceases to struggle ; 

 and what with the exhaustion of rage and resistance, 

 the terror of fire which he dreads, and the constant an- 

 noyance of smoke which he detests, in a very short 

 time, a few weeks at the most, his spirit becomes sub- 

 dued ; and being plentifully supplied with plantains 

 and fresh food, and indulged with water, in which he 

 luxuriates, he grows so far reconciled to his keepers 



M 



