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Show 1869.] DR. A. CAMPBELL ON THE INDIAN ELEPHANT. 137 at a likely place outside the forest and near water, generally selected on intelligence of its being the haunt of wild Elephants, or by finding their fresh trail. From this you take out the koonkis, three or four together, and reconnoitre in all directions in the open places at early morning or in the afternoon ; for the wild Elephants always keep to the heavy forest during the heat of the day, coming into the more open spots morning and evening only. When any of your parties have found a "khanja," or herd, it singles out one and gives immediate chase, sometimes even with one koonki only, if you have no more in your " keda," and when the quarry is a small one ; but it is better to do so with two, and three are requisite to catch and master a large animal. The chase is kept up until one of the koonkis gets alongside the wild Elephant, the great object being to lay a koonki on either side of the wild one, as fast as possible. When alongside and he sees his opportunity, the "phanait" (nooseman), who drives his Elephant and holds the open noose with both hands above his head, lets it fall over the wild one's head and on the trunk, which in running is pendent to the ground. Immediately the noose touches the trunk, the animal by an instinct which is fatal to its liberty coils it inwards, and by this movement it passes at once under the neck. The lohattia who holds the coil of the lassoo immediately pulls upon it, and the koonki is kept close upon the wild one and pressing against it until another koonki comes on the opposite side and a second noose is delivered. When this is done both koonkis move off in opposite directions, and thus in a short time the wild Elephant is suffocated and stretched on the ground between them. This takes some time, however, when the noosed animal is a powerful one, as it s~ts off at speed and struggles long and violently before it is choked and down. As soon as it is, the running nooses are loosed to give the animal breath, and a stopper put on each to prevent their running. The two koonkis again press on each side ; and by this means and one or two more pushing from behind, the captured animal is forcibly dragged away to the keda, where it is strongly picketed and starved into tameness. After a month or two it is quiet and tractable enough to be marched homewards, being in the meantime led out frequently with koonkis, and gradually accustomed to a rider. During the first six months fresh Elephants become thin and weak-looking, and then begin to pick up again. During the first rainy season (or, rather, during August, September, and October of the first year) they are most liable to illness and death. The risk decreases the second season, and is not great in the third, after which they are considered "pucka," i. e. safe and acclimatized. There is no procuring any data by which to arrive at the rates of mortality of fresh Elephants. It seems to depend on circumstances quite unknown to the catchers (who suffer most from it), and is therefore always attributed to " kismut," chance. Sometimes all the catchings of a season will die in one man's hands; at other times he will have a succession of seasons without any losses. The |