864 
THE ELEPHANT. 
who scatter and fly from the headlong charge until 
he gives up the pursuit; but he again turns to bay 
when further pressed by the hunters. It is the duty 
of one man in particular to ride up close to the 
head of the elephant, and thus to centre its atten¬ 
tion upon himself. This ensures a desperate charge. 
The greatest coolness and dexterity are then re¬ 
quired by the hunter, who, now the hunted , must so 
adapt the speed of his horse to the pace of the ele¬ 
phant that the enraged beast gains in the race until 
it almost reaches the tail of the horse. In this 
manner the race continues. In the meantime, two 
hunters gallop up behind the elephant, unseen by 
the animal, whose attention is completely directed 
to the horse almost within his grasp. With ex¬ 
treme agility, when close to the heels of the ele¬ 
phant, one of the hunters, while at full speed, 
springs to the ground with his drawn sword, while 
his companion seizes the bridle, and with one dex¬ 
terous two-handed blow severs the back sinew. He 
immediately jumps out of the way, and remounts 
his horse; if the blow be successful, the ele¬ 
phant becomes disabled by the first pressure of its 
foot on the ground; the enormous weight of the 
animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered 
helpless. The hunter who has hitherto led the 
elephant immediately turns, and riding to within a 
few feet of the trunk, he induces the animal to 
make another charge. This, clumsily made, affords 
an easy opportunity for the Aggajeers behind to 
slash the sinew of the remaining leg, and the im¬ 
mense brute is thus reduced to a stand-still; it dies of 
