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 



