cables are made fast, one on each side, to trees or stakes driven deep into the earth; and he is subsequently fastened, by means of other ropes, to two Koomkees, one on each side.

Every thing being now ready, and a passage being cleared from the jungle, all the ropes, except one, are taken from his legs. The Koomkees pull him forward; sometimes, however, not without much struggling and violence on his part. When brought to his proper station, and made fast, he is treated with a mixture of severity and gentleness; and, generally, in a few months he becomes tractable, and appears perfectly reconciled to his fate. It seems somewhat extraordinary, that though the animal uses his utmost force to disengage himself when taken, and would kill any person who came within his reach, yet he seldom attempts to injure the females that have ensnared him; but, on the contrary, seems, as it were, consoled by them for the loss of his liberty.

The mode of securing a herd of wild Elephants is very different from that adopted in taking a single male, and the process is much more tedious.

When a herd of these animals, which generally consists of from forty to a hundred, is discovered, about five hundred people are employed to surround it. By means of fire and noises, they, in the course of some days, are able to drive them to the place where they are to be secured. This is called the Kedda. It consists of three enclosures, communicating with each other by means of narrow openings or gateways. The outer one is the largest, the middle generally the next in size, and the third or furthermost the smallest. When the animals arrive near the first enclosure, (the palisadoes and two gates of which are as much as possible disguised by branches of trees and bamboos being stuck in the ground, in order to have the appearance of a natural jungle,) great difficulty attends the business of getting them in. The leader always suspects some snare, and it is not without the utmost hesitation that

he passes; but as soon as he enters, all the rest follow. Fires are now lighted round; the greatest part of the enclosure, particularly at the entrance, and loud and discordant noises are made for the purpose of urging them on to the next enclosure. The Elephants find themselves entrapped, and discovering no opening except the entrance to the next enclosure, they at length pass it. The gate is instantly shut upon them, fires are lighted, and discordant noises are made as before, till they have passed through another gateway into the last enclosure, where they are secured in a similar manner. Being now completely surrounded, and perceiving no outlet through which they can escape, they appear desperate, and, in their fury, advance frequently to the surrounding ditch, in order to break down the palisade, inflating their trunks, and screaming out aloud: but wherever they make an attack, they are opposed by lighted fires, and by the noise and triumphant shouts of the hunters. The ditch is then filled with water; and, after a while, they have recourse to it in order to quench their thirst and cool themselves, which they do by drawing the water into their trunks, and then squirting it over every part of their bodies.

When the Elephants have continued in the enclosure a few days, where they are regularly, though scantily, fed from a scaffold on the outside, the door of the Roomee (an outlet about sixty feet long and very narrow) is opened, and one of the Elephants is enticed to enter by having food thrown before it*. When the animal has advanced, the gate is shut and well secured on both sides. Finding his retreat now cut off, and the place so narrow that he cannot turn himself, he proceeds, and exerts his utmost efforts to break down the

* In many places this mode is not adopted; but as soon as the herd has been surrounded by a strong palisade, Koomkees are sent in with proper people, who tie them on the spot, in the manner we have mentioned respecting the single male Elephants.

bars in front of him, running against them, screaming and roaring most violently, and battering them, like a ram, by repeated blows with his head, retreating and advancing with the utmost fury. In his rage he even rises, and leaps upon the bars with his fore-feet, striving to break them down with his weight. When he becomes fatigued with these exertions, ropes are, by degrees, put round him; and he is secured in a manner nearly similar to that adopted in taking the single males; and thus, in succession, they are all secured.

The Elephants are now separated, and each is given into the care of a keeper, who is appointed to attend and instruct him. Under this man there are three or four others, who assist in supplying food and water till the animal becomes sufficiently tractable to feed himself. In a few days the keeper advances cautiously to the side of the Elephant, and strokes and pats him with his hand, at the same time speaking to him in a soothing voice; and after a little while, the beast begins to know the keeper and obey his commands. By degrees the latter becomes familiar, and at length mounts upon the animal's back, from one of the tame Elephants. He gradually increases the intimacy, as the animal becomes more tame, till at last he is permitted to seat himself on his neck, from which place he is afterwards to regulaté and direct all his motions. In five or six weeks the Elephant becomes obedient to his keeper; his fetters are by degrees taken off; and generally in about six months he will suffer himself to be conducted from place to place, with as much complacency as if he had been long subdued. Care, however, is taken not to let him approach his former haunts, lest a recollection of them should induce him to attempt to recover his liberty; for it is generally believed that, if an Elephant escape, after having been in bondage, it is not possible, by any art, again to entrap him. The following instances, recorded in the Philosophical Transactions for 1799, will, however, prove that this is not the fact:

A female Elephant was first taken in the year 1765,

and two years was afterwards suffered to escape into the woods. She was retaken; but broke loose in a stormy night, and again escaped. In 1782, more than ten years after her second escape, she was driven by the Elephanthunters belonging to Mr. Leeke, of Longford-hall, in Shropshire, into an enclosure in which Elephants are secured; and the day following, when Mr. Leeke went to see the herd that had been taken, this Elephant was pointed out to him by the hunters, who well recollected her. They frequently called to her by name; to which she seemed to pay some attention, by immediately looking towards them when it was repeated; nor did she appear like the wild Elephants, who were constantly running about the enclosure in a rage, but seemed perfectly reconciled to her situation.

For eighteen days, she never approached near enough to the outlet to be secured. Mr. Leeke, at length, went himself, when there were only this Elephant, another female, and eight young ones remaining in the enclosure. After the other female had been secured, the hunters were ordered to call on this animal by name. She immediately came to the side of the ditch, within the enclosure; and some of the drivers were desired to carry in a plantain tree. She not only took the leaves of this from their hands with her trunk, but she opened her mouth for them to put a leaf into it; which they did, at the same time stroking and caressing her, and calling to her by name. One of the trained Elephants was now ordered to be brought to her, and the driver was told to take her by the ear, and order her to lie down. At first she retired to a distance, seeming angry; but, when the drivers, who were on foot, called to her, she immediately came and allowed them to stroke and caress her as before; and, a few minutes afterwards, she permitted the trained Elephants to be familiar with her. A driver from one of these then fastened a rope round her body, and jumped on her back: this, at the moment, she did not like, but she was soon reconciled to it. A small cord was then placed