AN ELEPHANT HUNT. 
281 
behind the fence to guard this important pass. We 
were sleeping, or, I should rather say, supposed to 
be sleeping, in our clothes, and ready for action, 
within ten yards of all this mighty turmoil. In the 
morning, we found that the whole of the jungle, which 
nearly covered their prison, had been cleared during 
the night by the elephants, save only some large 
trees, that defied both their strength and sagacity. 
The work of destruction commenced at a few mi- 
nutes after six o’clock, and by eleven the whole of the 
larger elephants were killed. It was a frightful scene 
of carnage. The number destroyed was sixty, and thir- 
teen only were saved. We were all glad when it was 
over, for the slaughter had at last become truly horrible. 
The ground was strewed with gigantic carcases, and 
never did I see so frightful an array of death. The 
resistance was now confined to one or two of the 
larger elephants, which were speedily despatched. Af- 
ter this monstrous carnage, nothing remained but to 
secure the younger prisoners, which was readily ac- 
complished by driving them into the pits, and having 
fastened a rope to the neck and hind-leg of each, these 
pits were gradually filled with bundles of straw, allow- 
ing the captives by degrees to step higher and higher 
towards the surface, until they were able to walk out 
of their prisons. They were then made fast to trees, 
and we began to try a more familiar acquaintance 
with them by giving them water-plantains and sugar- 
cane; by these and similar means some of them were 
rendered comparatively docile in a few hours, whilst 
others continued refractory for several days. The most 
refractory, however, were easily tamed. 
2 b 3 
