120 
ELEPHANT. 
enclosure, the elephants are then only deemed se- 
cure : here they are kept six or eight days, and 
are regularly, though scantily, fed from a scaffold 
on the outside, close to the entrance of an outlet 
called the roomee , which is about sixty feet long, 
and very narrow, and through which the elephants 
are to be taken out one by one. In many places 
this mode is not adopted ; for, as soon as the herd 
has been surrounded by a strong palisade, koomkees 
are sent in with proper people, who tie them on 
the spot, in the same manner as was mentioned 
above of the goondahs , or male elephants, that are 
taken singly. These enclosures are all pretty strong, 
but the third is the strongest. Nor are the ele- 
phants deemed secure, as already mentioned, till 
they have entered it. This enclosure has, like the 
other two, a pretty deep ditch on the inside ; and 
upon the bank of earth that is thrown up from the 
excavation a row of strong palisades of middle-sized 
trees is planted, strengthened with cross bars, which 
are tied to them about the distance of fourteen 
inches from each other ; and these are supported 
on the outside by strong posts like buttresses, hav- 
ing one end sunk in the earth and the other press- 
ing against the cross bars to which they are fastened. 
When the herd is brought near to the first en- 
closure, or baigcote , which has two gateways to- 
wards the jungle, from which the elephants are to 
advance, the greatest difficulty is to get the ele- 
phants to enter; for, notwithstanding the precau- 
tions taken to disguise both the entries, as well a$ 
