124 
ELEPHANT. 
his efforts are unavailing. Finding his retreat then 
cut off, he advances, and exerts his utmost force to 
break down the bars, by running against them, 
screaming and roaring, and battering them like a 
ram, by repeated blows of his head, retreating and 
advancing with the utmost fury. In his rage he 
rises and leaps upon the bars with his fore-feet, and 
strives to break them down with his huge weight. 
In February 1788, a large female elephant dropped 
down dead in the roomee , from the violent ex- 
ertions she made. When the elephant is some- 
what fatigued by these exertions, strong ropes, with 
running nooses, are placed in the outlet by the 
hunters ; and as soon as he puts a foot within the 
noose, it is immediately drawn tight, and fastened 
to the palisades. When all his feet have been 
made pretty fast, two men place themselves behind 
some bars that run across the roomee , to prevent 
his kicking them, and with great caution tie his 
hind-legs together, by passing a cord alternately 
from the one to the other, like the figure 8 , and 
then fastening these turns as above described. After 
this the cords are put on in succession, in the same 
manner as on the goondah, only that here the peo- 
ple are in greater security. While these ropes are 
making fast, the other hunters are careful not to 
go too near, but keep on the outside of the pali- 
sade, and divert his attention, as much as they can, 
from those employed in fastening them, by sup- 
plying him with grass, and sometimes with plantain- 
leaves and sugar-canes, of which he is remarkably 
