100 
SCENES IN INDIA. 
covert, either kill him, or take him alive and tame 
him ; but his Majesty has ordered that the lion 
should always be destroyed. 
“Sometimes a bold resolute fellow seats himself upon 
the back of a male buffalo, and makes, him attack the 
lion and toss him with his horns till he kills him. It 
is not possible for any one, who has not seen this 
sight, to form an adequate idea of the sport it affords, 
nor to conceive the boldness of the man, who seats 
himself erect like a pillar, notwithstanding the violent 
motions of the buffalo, during the bloody conflict.”* 
The mode of catching elephants described by Abul 
Fazil will not be uninteresting to the English reader. 
“ This is done several ways. One method is that which 
they call Kehdeh, wherein cavalry and infantry are em- 
ployed. In the summer season they beat drums and 
blow trumpets in the place where the elephants resort 
to feed. The unwieldy animals are frightened and run 
about till their strength is quite exhausted, and in 
search of rest take shelter under the shade of a tree, 
when skilful persons throw ropes over them and 
fasten them to the trunk. Here they are brought ac- 
quainted with tame elephants, familiarised by degrees, 
and taught to be obedient. The people who take the 
elephants are paid a fourth of their value. There is 
another method called Choorkehdeh, which is this. — 
They carry a tame elephant to the place where the 
wild ones feed, the driver sitting upon him in such a 
manner as not to be perceived. When the two ele- 
phants begin fighting, the driver throws a rope over 
the wild animal. Another way is called Gedd. 
* Ayeen Akberry, p. 295. 
