The Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce Book F 
■and 9 if he rs troublefoiY.e, beat him foundly, but without 
wounding him * while others go behind, and pufh him 
: along : Then the Men who are employed in this Hunting, 
fetch the Remainder * in like manner tie them with Ropes * 
-and, mounting them, force them along to a Poll* to which 
they are fattened, till* by Hunger, they are made as tarrre 
as Sheep 3 . At this Hunting they took twenty. The King 
•of Siam, then reigning, [had revived this Method of hunting 
Elephants, was prefent himfelf,' mounted on an Elephant 
! of War, and gave his Orders* The Embaffadors were in- 
formed by his Prime Minifter, that this Prince had, at this 
time* two thoufand Elephants of War, arid forty-five 
thoufand Men, in his Service. 
Father Packard, who was of this Embaffy, tells us far- 
ther, that there was a kind of Amphitheatre, which was 
built in the Form of a long Square, walled on every Side, 
and a convenient Terrace on the Top, on which the Specta- 
tors were placed. On the Infide, there was a kind of Pa- 
lifadoes, compofed of large Wooden Pillars, fixed in the 
Earth, at the Diftance of about two Feet one from an- 
other * behind which the Huntfmen retired, when purfued 
by the enraged Beaft. A large Extent of Ground was 
taken in towards the Country, and over-againft it, near the 
City, a fmaller Part * at the End of which there v/as a long 
Paffage, fo narrow, that an Elephant could not pafs thro’ 
it without Difficulty * which led into a Court where the 
Elephants were tamed. On the Day appointed for the 
Chace, the Huntfmen entered the Woods* mounted on 
female Elephants, properly trained to the Sport, being 
themfelves fo covered, as not to be feen by the wild Ele- 
phants. When they were lo far advanced in the Foreft, as 
that, they judged themfelves near the Haunts of thofe wild 
Bealls, they made the female Elephants roar •, to which the 
Males never failed to anfwer with a moll dreadful Noife : 
By which the Huntfmen judging of the Diftance they were 
from them* began to return, and, leading the Females 
gently towards the Amphitheatre, the wild Elephants fol- 
lowed them very peaceably, till they entered within the 
Inclofure, and the Barrier behind them was Ihut, 
The Females continued their March crofs the Amphi- 
theatre, and entered, one after another, the narrow Paffage 
on the oppofite Side. The wild Elephant, at the En- 
trance of that Paffage, Hopped ; and then they put in Prac- 
tice every Method to force him forward, by making the 
female Elephants that were on the other Side cry, while 
the Huntfmen in the Amphitheatre puttied the Elephant 
forward with loud Cries * and when he turned upon them, 
they took Shelter behind the Pillars. At laft having got 
him to the Entrance of the Paffage, one ran before him *, 
and the wild Elephant following with all imaginable Fury, 
his Paffage was prefen tly Hopped by two Hiding Barriers 
that were let fall, one before, the other behind him. The 
Animal, finding himfelf in this Situation, not able to get 
either forward or backward, made prodigious Efforts, and 
fet up a hideous Cry. They then endeavoured to pacify 
him, by throwing Buckets of Water over him, rubbing 
him with Leaves, and wetting his Ears with Oil : They 
likewife brought tame Elephants* both Male and Female, 
who careffed and made much of him with their Trunks. 
In the mean time, they fattened Ropes under his Belly, 
and to his Hinder-legs : Then an Officer, mounted on an 
Elephant trained for that Purpofe, advanced, and retired 
feveral times thro’ the Paffage, to fhew the wild one how 
he might come out * and the Barrier before him being re- 
moved, he readily followed the other Elephant to the End 
of the Paffage. As foon as he came to the Entrance of the 
little Paddock, they fattened him, by the Help of the 
Ropes, to two of the Elephants that waited for him, one 
on each Side. Another marched before him, and pulled 
4 him along by a Rope, while a fourth, that was behind, 
thruft him on, by pufhing him with his Head, till they 
brought him to a great Pott, fixed like the Capftern of a 
Ship : There they left him till the next Day, to cool him- 
felf * and while he was turning round this Pillar, came a 
Brachman * dreffed in' white, mounted on a tame Elephant, 
who gently fprmkled him with a kind of confecrated Wa- 
ter, out of a gold Veffel * by which Ceremony they fancy the ■ 
Elephant is deprived of his Fiercenefs, and rendered fit for ■ 
Service, The Day following he went with the reft, and in 
a Fortnight’s Time was quite tame b . 
3. The Elephant, tho s the largeft of all Beads* fome of r 
them _ being twenty Feet in Compafs, is extremely docile*, 
very induftrious, and has Senfe fo much fuperior to a Beaft* 
that it feems* in fome meafure, to approach human Rea- - 
fon. It is very certain, that this Creature is capable of Fi- . 
delity, deep Affe&ion* and Gratitude * and that to fuch a ?, 
degree, as to be extremely afflitfted on the Lofs of its Go- ' 
vernor: But this Paffion rifesto a furprifing Height, if by r 
any Accident he injures his Keeper * which fometimes falls 5 
out, when the Creature is fe ized with that kind of Fury to 
which its Species is fubjeft. The Companion and Ten- - 
dernefs of its Nature appears in various Circumftances • : 
The Lofs of its Companion difprrits the Elephant more ; 
than any thing * for it is reported, that it never makes 5 
a fecond Choice. In fome Countries they had a Cuftom of f 
taking Elephants* by digging deep Pits, and covering 3 
them with Hurdles* ftrewed with Leaves. If a female Ele* - 
phant oeheld her Young one thus caught, ffie would throw s, 
herfelf into the fame Pit, there to remain, at the Hazard 1 
of her Lire and Liberty. In a Word* ffie never aban- - 
doned it in any Danger, but would father fuffer herfelf to : 
be killed c . In patting a River* ffie carried it on her l 
1 runk, if the River was fordable * but if they were obliged 1 
to fwim, the young one patted firft, before the Water was < 
raffed by the Entrance of fo many Creatures of vaft Size, ;; 
the Elephants going ufually in an Herd. If at any time* 
they found one of their own Species wounded in the d 
Woods, they took all imaginable Cafe to fliccour and re- 1 
lieve it, by bringing Food to the Place where it lay, andd 
fuch Remedies as might contribute to its Cure: If, im 
fpite of all their Endeavours, it died, they found means toe 
interr and cover it with Leaves, that the Body might not >i 
be expofed, and torn to Pieces by wild Beads d . 
Vfhen they were tamed, they were taught to kneel ati 
the Approach of the King, as if they meant to adore him,]! 
after the Faffiion of the Eaft. Some Princes had no lefsii 
than twenty of them belonging to their private Ufe, which,! 
in their Turns, did Duty before their Tents, and in timer 
of Battle defended them with the utmoft Zeal. All ther 
Writers of the Life of Alexander agree, that the Elephanti 
on which Poms was mounted, took incredible Care of thataj 
Prince, lifting him fafely down when he was wounded,! 
drawing the Darts out of his Body with its Trunk * andi. 
then, gently replacing him in his Seat, carried him fafetyll 
back to his Quarters. The Reader will obferve, that we/ 
do not deliver thefe Fadts as either certain or credible : We r ' 
mention them only as related by antient Authors, and: 
leave the reft to his own Judgment. 
Milan , in his Hiftory of Animals, mentions feverah 
things very curious and remarkable as to thefe Creatures s: 
He tells us, with refpedl to their Fidelity, that a young [ 
Indian Lord, having caught a fmall white Elephant, brought/ 
it up with the utmoft Tendernefs, and was exceedingly be-e: 
loved by that Animal. The King of the Country, having:; 
a Very extraordinary Account of the Beauty and Docility:; 
of the Beaft, demanded it from its Mafter for his own/ 
Ufe * but the young Lord not being able to part with it,!!! 
choie rather to fly to the Mountains. He was purfued thi-ii 
ther by the King’s Orders, where, from the Top of a 
Rock, he for a long time defended himfelf, by throwing) 
Stones, in which he v/as perfectly well feconded by his; 
Elephant* but at laft the Soldiers getting up, and then 
young Man being much wounded, the Elephant was left! 
alone tofuftain the Combat * when flie, milling furioufly on),; 
her Enemies, threw fome of them over the Precipice * and*c 
having put the reft to Flight, returned, took up here 
wounded Mafter, and carried him off. What a Reproach*! 
continues that Naturalift, is the Fidelity of this Beaft one 
the Ingratitude of fome Men, who, having received alb: 
manner of Favours and Support from others, leave them,!' 
at laft, to perifh under Misfortunes* or, perhaps, to com- 1 
plete their Fortunes, affift in their Ruin e ! 
a 'Journal du Voyage deSiam, p. 479. ^ V iyage de Siam? hv* V. p. 298. e Alii an* Hifl, Animal* lib . ix, c. 
iih, vii. e. 35. Flirt. Nat, Hiji. lib. viii. Fhihjirat . lib . ii» e nElian. lib . iii. 4A 
d ?. JEUaiid. 
Plutarch- 
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