43 
Natural History of the Elephant. 
the keddah belonged, assented to the trial being made, and gave 
orders for the trained females, and proper assistants, to go di- 
rectly within the inclosure. Having but few trained females 
present, it was judged advisable to send in a fine male elephant, 
taken many years before, and thoroughly broke in, to assistthem, 
as well as to keep the herd in awe. He had no sooner entered 
the inclosure, and been brought near the herd, than, discovering 
one of the females to be in heat, impelled by desire, and eager to 
cover her, he dashed through the herd, regardless of the orders 
and severe discipline of the driver, and had nearly accomplished 
his purpose. The driver, being alarmed for his own safety, 
exerted in vain all his strength, to turn him, and bring him 
from among the wild elephants ; but the drivers of the trained 
females, coming speedily to his assistance, soon surrounded 
this furious animal, and separated him from the herd. In re- 
sentment, however, of his disappointment, he attacked a small 
koomkee , with such violence as completely overturned her and 
her rider ; and, had he not been of a particular species, called 
mucknah, which have only small tusks, he most probably would 
have transfixed, and killed her on the spot : fortunately, nei- 
ther she nor her driver received any considerable hurt. This 
accident prevented the trial being then made, to tie the wild 
elephants in the manner proposed. 
Reflecting on the disobedience shown by an elephant re- 
markably docile, and which had been domesticated for many 
years, when his passions were excited, and recollecting also, 
that a wild elephant had covered a female, in February, 1778, 
before many spectators, just after the herd had been secured in 
the inclosure, I was assured in my own mind, that it was not 
from any sense of modesty, either wild or tame elephants did 
G 2 
