Ill 
THE ELEPHANT 
83 
lashed with raw hide, so as to bind the structure 
firmly together, and to afford a good grip for the 
hand. As the howdah is divided into two compart¬ 
ments, the front being for the shooter, and the back 
part for his servant, the division should be arranged 
to give increased strength to the construction by 
the firmness of the cross pieces, which ought to 
bind the sides together in forming the middle 
seat; the back support of which should be a padded 
shield of thick leather, about 15 inches in diameter, 
secured by a broad strap of the same material to 
buckles upon the sides. This will give a yielding 
support to the back of the occupant when sitting. 
The seat should lift up, and be fitted as a locker to 
contain anything required ; and a well-stuffed leather 
cushion is indispensable. The gun-rack should be 
carefully arranged to contain two guns upon the left, 
and one upon the right of the sitter. These must 
be well and softly padded, to prevent friction. 
The floor should be covered either with thick 
cork or cork-matting to prevent the feet from 
slipping. 
It must be remembered that a howdah may be 
subjected to the most severe strain, especially should 
a tiger spring upon the head of an elephant, and the 
animal exert its prodigious strength to throw off its 
assailant. The irons for fastening the girths should 
therefore be of the toughest quality, and, instead of 
actual girths, only thick ropes of cotton ought to be 
used. A girth secured with a buckle is most 
dangerous, as, should the buckle give way, an acci- 
