TO THE COURT OF AYA. 
531 
not legal, and, according to universal custom, 
they were perfectly justified in disregarding it. 
The elephant combats took place immediately 
on the river-side, upon a piece of level ground, 
in the centre of which there is a stout paling, 
across which it is customary to fight the animals. 
There were five combats, but they afforded little 
amusement. The elephant is not a courageous 
animal, nor is it pugnacious : they have but one 
mode of fighting,—that of butting with their 
forehead, and endeavouring to wound each other 
with their tusks. After a rencontre which does 
not last above a few seconds, one of the parties 
is sure to run away. In one or two instances 
they refused to fight altogether over the paling, 
and they were therefore brought into the open 
plain. On one of these occasions, the van¬ 
quished elephant, after turning round in his re¬ 
treat, happened to be too near a pond, and being 
gored in the flank by his antagonist, was thrown 
in: no accident happened to the riders, nor does 
there, I am told, upon almost any of these oc¬ 
casions. The guides seemed by no means want¬ 
ing in intrepidity, and appeared to us to bring 
up the elephants to the charge with much spirit. 
After the elephant combats were over, the 
King prepared to take his departure. His ele¬ 
phant, one of the noblest animals I have ever 
