the Governor and of myself were emblazoned on it, and it was carpeted like a drawing-room. We were in great hopes of being suminoned to it on the following day, as it was confidently asserted that the elephants were close to the river, and once they were over it all the rest was a matter of plain sailing, and of a few hours' desperate driving. But the next day came, and then the next day and the next. Each day brought with it its own tales; one person confidently asserting he had seen the elephants close to the river; another being positive he too had seen them, but several miles away, and the last tidings bearer was right. On Sunday we had divine service at the Governor's bungalow, and the Rev. Mr. Ireland Jones preached to a large and attentive audience of Europeans and natives an admirable sermon on the text, "Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." Still, the beasts of the forest would not or did not advance. We heard rumors of a particularly fierce cow elephant with a very young calf at her feet, disarranging the line by desperate attacks on the beaters, who could only repulse her by firing bullets at her from their extraordinary collection of fire-arms; and, indeed, such marvellous arms could never have been seen elsewhere Portuguese and Dutch barrels adapted to flint-locks, old Tower muskets, huge pistols, blunderbusses. They all, however, made a noise and frightened the elephants; but they did more than that: they killed two beaters by being indiscriminately discharged. One of the victims, a poor boy, had climbed a tree to see the sport, when a shot fired in the air wounded him so severely that he died shortly afterward.

As may be supposed, time began to hang heavily; the weather was very hot, and the camp being surrounded by jungle, it was reached by little air. It was a mercy that we were not all attacked by some disorder. No exercise was possible, partly from the thickness of the covert all around, and partly owing to the strict in junctions which were circulated that no one was to go in the direction of the elephants for fear of heading them back.

There were not many episodes to beguile the time: one night an assault was committed by a wild rogue elephant, which invaded the camp and attacked and ill treated two small tame elephants on the

Then

outskirts. He was watched for next night, but departed never to return on receipt of a volley from some sportsmen, who failed to bring in his tail. there were horse races, and much hard and dangerous riding in them, as is sure to be the case when the planters gather together. They were succeeded by elephant races, and very grave, grotesque affairs they were. Whichever got the lead retained it, as in the best part of the course, and especially at the finish, there was only room for one. The delays and the excuses for the non arrival of the elephants continued into the new week, and at last became so intolerable that we all determined to depart, and on Wednesday the 12th, having been at the kraal since Wednesday the 5th, we revolted, packed up our things and were on the point of starting when in rushed a messenger in hot haste, and informed us that the whole herd would be driven in within five minutes. And sure enough we heard a tremendous outcry close at hand, accompanied with the reports of all manner of fire-arms. We arrived in time to see the dash in of the huge beasts, who ran round the stockade seeking an exit, but in vain. At every point there were spearmen, and the open space by which they entered was instantly closed up. It was difficult at first to see them as they took refuge in the thickest part of the covert. The first thing to be done was to beat down all the brushwood, to enable the noosers to go to work, and four tame elephants marched in for that purpose. It was most amusing to see the perfectly business-like manner with which they performed their task. They soon found out the few trees which were beyond their strength and they troubled themselves no more with them. The others they rocked to and fro till they overthrew them, and then walked along them breaking off the branches, and converting in a short time that which was previously a thick jungle into level ground. One large dark-colored elephant showed remarkable skill and sagacity, and we were all admiring his cleverness as he worked away just under the stand within a few yards of us. All at once a frightful occurrence took place. The Mahout sitting on his shoulders dropped his goad, and the man behind him, who was the regular attendant on the beast, got down to pick it up. In an instant the elephant turned

on him, seized him with his trunk, threw him down, knelt upon him and drove his tush (lower tooth), for he was not a tusker, right through his body. The tush was broken off by the violence of the blow. He then actually mashed him with his knees. The Mahout kept his seat all this time, but vainly urged the beast to rise. At last, having satiated his revenge, he got up and allowed himself, all dripping from the mouth with his victim's blood, to be driven out of the enclosure as quietly as if nothing had happened. It was a terrible scene close under the eyes of a number of ladies, who, as well as some of the men, were altogether upset. The Governor at once ordered the proceedings to be stopped for a couple of hours. The poor native's death was instantaneous, for he was crushed into a mass. It turned out afterward that the elephant ought never to have been worked that day, as he had given unmistakable signs of being "in must," and had always been more or less ill-tempered. The drivers, however, had no misgivings, and so the owner did not interfere. But the poor man who fell a victim ought to have had every cause for misgiving, as the elephant had an old grudge against him on account of ill treatment, and had three times before at. tempted to kill him. An elephant does not forget ill-treatment, but will long bide

his time.

On returning to the kraal the process of noosing was begun and was most admirably carried on. At the former kraal, owing to the jealousies of the drivers of elephants coming from different districts, there were constant failures and disappointments, and even when a noosing was effected the ropes seemed continually to break like pack-thread. When one considers the enormous weight of the captured animal and the strain of his struggling one way and the tame elephant another it seems a miracle that any rope can stand; but on the present occasion they did their work bravely. They were said to be made of cowhide. Two of the largest tamed elephants were furnished with these ropes, which were about forty feet long and fastened round their shoulders. When a favorable opportunity occurred and the herd of wild elephants was stopped and mixed in together, the nooser, rope in hand, entered the crowd with the most extraordinary courage, slipped it over the

first hind leg that was raised from the ground, and then with one tug the struggle began. One man particularly distinguished himself; he ran in front of the tame elephant to which he belonged, armed only with a spear, and several times turned with this weapon the attack of wild ones who resented his approach.

The

The levelling of the jungle was a shorter job than it seemed likely to be. The rushings to and fro of a herd of twentysix wild elephants, for that number were enclosed, soon made the rough places smooth, and the noosing proceeded vigorously. The famous cow of whose fierceness we had heard so much was one of the captives. She had a very wee elephant at her foot, which we thought would every minute be smothered in the thick mud of a pond within the kraal which the captives had, by constantly running through it, worked up into a tenacious mass. little fellow, however, struggled manfully for his liberty; but the poor mother had lost her courage, owing to the severity of her wounds, and soon gave in. Indeed there was but little resistance. Six weeks' continual driving had taken the steel out of them. They looked thoroughly woebegone and very sorry for themselves. One alone fought valiantly for his liberty. He was a large dark elephant and did not generally go with the herd but by himself. On several occasions, as the row of three or four tame elephants advanced toward him, he rushed at them

"And thrice came on in fury,

And thrice turned back in dread—"

but his courage failed and he again retreated.

At last, however, he got his chance and did not miss it. Generally the pursuing elephants had a larger tusker leading by about three parts of a length, and there was no hope of worsting him. This time a small one took the lead, it was less in height than the wild one, but strong and well fed. The moment the captive saw the change in the ranks he came on in right good earnest, dashed at the small one and gave him a blow with his trunk, a tremendous stroke and apparently overwhelming; but the little fellow stood it. manfully, and, charging in turn, struck his antagonist with his forehead just in the shoulder and knocked him right back and down a bank near the scene of the en

counter. The wild one never charged again, but was the last captured, and very dangerous He perfectly understood all that was going on and made little of the devices to catch him. It was noticed that in his walks he always passed by a particular tree; in this a native was perched, holding a rope with an open noose which lay on the ground, and which was covered with leaves. He at once walked up to it, pushed the leaves aside, took up the noose with his trunk and threw it out of his way contemptuously. He at last gave in from sheer exhaustion, and about a fortnight after the kraal was over I asked a Singalese gentleman whether it would ever be possible to train such a large and fierce animal? "I bought him," said this gentleman, at a high price, and he walked off two or three days after his capture to my estate about 50 miles away. He was in charge of two tame elephants. He is a most docile, intelligent fellow, and will soon be of great value."

The Governor's party left that evening, and in the two following days the remaining elephants were noosed, sold, and Kraaltown relapsed again into wilderness. A great deal of adverse comment has been made on these kraals. It is said that they are cruel as regards the peasants who drive, the chiefs who are at expense in getting them up, and the elephants which are captured. I cannot accept any of these unfavorable criticisms. From all I can hear, both the peasants and the chiefs are greatly pleased at the rare chance which presents itself of carrying out a kraal. They took the opportunity of paying me the compliment of offering it to me, and I believe the suggestion was entirely their own. It may look as if strong compulsion were employed to keep from 1200 to 2000 men constantly beating for six weeks, but it must be remembered that these men were near their villages, that the work was very easy, in fact not work at all, and that the strong, hardy Kandyans are all intensely fond of field sports. As for the chiefs, their expenditure was but smal, and they recouped much of it by the sale of the elephants. There was no mistake as to their intense enjoyment of it. It was amusing to see the great Kandyan magnate, whom we had admired the day before in his imposing costume, all gold and color, now he was half naked, tattered, torn, perspir

ing, and almost hoarse from shouting, but still full of go and excitement. As I said before, the kraai is their great fair, their Derby, and they and all the population will be very glad to have another some years hence when an opportunity occurs. As for the elephants, if they had tongues to speak, and they certainly can do everything but speak, I am confident they would say, "If we are to be killed for sport or captured for use, let us by all means be captured by a kraal. We shall be well taken care of for the rest of our lives, get a treat of sugar now and then which we dearly love, have to perform a moderate amount of work, for we are the best judges as to what we can do, and as for kind treatment, leave that to us; we are quite able to take care of ourselves, and if ill-used to know the reason why.' It is true that about one in five is supposed to die of those captured in a kraal, either from pining or from wounds, though I did not hear of any that had died in the kraal just described, except the cow, which had been grievously wounded. On the other hand, of the elephants which are caught by license not more than two out of five survive. They are caught by trackers, who creep after them in the jungle, noose them, and tie them up to a tree. Many of those so tied up are left to die of absolute starvation, while the captors are hunting others; and many more perish by the wounds they receive in their struggles, as they cannot be tied up as effectually by the hunters as by the aid of tame elephants, and, of course, with the increased length of rope there are increased injuries in the struggle. If, therefore, elephants are wanted for the public service, or if they are becoming too numerous and too saucy in any particular district where the population is large enough to carry out a kraal, I should certainly prefer giving permission for their capture by that mode rather than by license, though, of course, if elephants must be caught in the wild and uninhabited districts this can only be done by hunters.

And now may I be permitted to say a few words about my poor, huge, affectionate, useful, clever favorites? I have the greatest attachment to them, and have in consequence seen much of them-or rather I should say, having seen much of them, I have conceived a great attachment

to them. Some of them, I acknowledge, are like some of our friends-not quite as easy-going as they ought to be; somewhat capricious in temper, and too easily provoked. But I will venture to say if you take the first ten men you meet, and if you take the first ten elephants, and inquire carefully into the dispositions of each batch, you will find far more cantankerousness among the men than among the beasts. Now, I have no particular sentimentality for big beasts-a hippopotamus is a sensual, unattractive brute without affection; a rhinoceros is a malignant wretch, "monstrum nullâ virtute redemptum," who hunts, and would gladly kill the keeper who feeds him daily; and it is impossible to conceive a more supercilious, dissatisfied, ever-grumbling, un lovable, and unloving creature than the camel. I acknowledge that the way to an elephant's heart is through his stomach, but once touch that chord by ineans of your fruit-leavings-mango-stones, pineapple rinds, overripe oranges, etc.-and you will see his little pig eyes gleaming on you with melting affection. There was an elephant named Bombera who was employed in constructing a stone dam, intended to close up a river, and thereby form a lake, at Newera Eliya in Ceylon. To watch this elephant working was one of the sights of the place. He first of all drew down from the quarry the huge stone that was to be used; he then undid the chain by which he had drawn it. He next proceeded to roll it with his forehead along the narrow stone embankment, or rather wall, till he fitted it exactly into its place. On one side of the wall was a precipice, on the other a deep lake. As the stone was being pushed by his forehead, it would at one time incline to the lake, at another, over the precipice; but he immediately made it straight again with his foot. He was doing as much work as ten men, far more quickly and with the accuracy of a skilled mason. On one occasion several friends were present watch ing the proceedings. There was a heavy sledge hammer lying on the ground, and some one asked if he would take it up and break a very large rock close to it.

The

officer in charge of the work said we were asking too much, but the Mahout, who heard the conversation, replied gravely, "Bombera can do and will do everything he is asked ;" and he said something to

the elephant, who took up the sledge as if it were a feather, and knocked the stone to pieces in a few minutes. "Now take your pipe and smoke it," said the Mahout; upon which the animal stuck the sledge in his mouth and walked off with it as if he was enjoying a morning smoke. My acquaintance with him soon ripened into deep affection on both sides. When he was first introduced to me, he was ordered to kneel and salaam by rubbing his forehead in the dust, and then to rise up and trumpet his greeting. After he had gone through his salutations, I gave him a basket full of fruit-leavings. The same proceedings took place for the next two or three days, and after that the moment he heard the bells of my ponies, nothing would restrain him; off he came to greet me, prostrated himself at my feet, rubbed his forehead in the dust, and trumpeted vigorously for his fruit. was at first rather formidable, the charge of such a huge monster right down upon one; but there was no danger. He used generally to remain by my side while I was looking at the work, and more than once I have felt something like a leaf touching my ear, and on looking up found that Bombera had advanced quite noiselessly, and was gently holding it in his trunk as a token of his love.

One of the first questions I asked on arriving subsequently in Ceylon was about my dear friend Bombera, and I heard with much regret that he had died some time ago of some internal complaint at the early age of thirty-five, universally loved and regretted.

On another occasion I was down in the eastern province and was delighted with the intelligence and gentleness of a huge female elephant who was working at a new bridge. She really seemed able to do everything but speak, and was a thorough favorite of the whole pioneer force stationed on the spot. The officer in charge of the work told me a curious story. Some three or four years previously, this elephant had a young one—a very rare occurrence among elephants in captivity. She was perfectly devoted to her calf; but it died and she was inconsolable, and from being the gentlest creature she became irritable and even dangerous. One morning it was announced to the young officer that she had broken the chain which had coufined her and had es

caped into the forest. Trackers were sent out in every direction, but as wild elephants were in abundance all around it was impossible to trace her. The loss of such an animal was a heavy one, the works were much retarded, and there was general tribulation in consequence. One night, about ten days after the escape, the officer in question went out to lie in wait for bears at a pond in the jungle some distance off. As he and his native attendant were returning early in the morning the native silently nudged him, and they saw in the dim gray light an elephant with her calf making her way along the newly formed road toward the camp. They both sprang behind trees and, when the elephants passed, the native insisted that it was their old friend. They hurried back as fast as they could and found the camp in a ferment. Sure enough the truant had returned, and she appeared to be quite as joyful as the rest of the assemblage, going from one to another and touching them with her trunk, and as if she were exhibiting her adopted child. There was a very pretty little elephant in the camp which used to run in and out of our hut, and I believe it was the one which she had either begged, borrowed, or stolen during her absence. Her good temper and usual docility completely returned at once.

In the year 1874, Princes Augustus and Philip of Saxe-Coburg paid a visit to Ceylon and expressed a wish to see elephants working. There were none belonging to the Department of Works at Kandy, where they were staying; but the guardian of the temple lent a couple of the elephants belonging to it. They did everything they were ordered to do with their usual intelligence, carrying large stones wherever they were told to place them, fixing the chains to the stones and unfixing them; but one of them, a tusker, on that occasion performed an act entirely of his own accord which greatly struck me. He was carrying a long and very heavy stone down a steep declivity. The stone was suspended from his neck by a chain, and as the chain was somewhat long the stone struck repeatedly against his knees. He stopped, made what sailors call a bight of the chain, gave it a roll round his tusk, and having thus shortened it carried the stone to its destination without further

discomfort to his knees. What the Mahout said to him, or whether he said anything, I do not know; but it is difficult to imagine that out of the eighty phrases which a very highly educated elephant is supposed to understand there would have been one framed for such an emergency as this, and, if there was not, surely it was the clearest exercise of the reasoning faculty pure and simple which prompted this act.

Many were the tales of strange and laudable doings by elephants which I heard from credible witnesses, and it is no wonder that my heart softened toward them, and that I determined to put a stop as far as I could to the indiscriminate and wanton slaughter of these useful and worthy animals which had hitherto prevailed. Of course it was quite right to kill trespassers in crops, and still more to kill rogue elephants whose ferocity and cunning rendered them a pest in whatever district they took up their quarters. But the days have passed when a slayer of elephants was a benefactor of a district, a second Hercules or Theseus in driving away wild beasts, In those days the natives had no fire arms, so the beasts had much the best of it and ravaged the crops with tolerable impunity. The slayers of them therefore were universally revered, a reward was given for each tail, and men were spoken of as 100 tail, 200 tail men ; indeed, the famous Major Rogers is said to have slain over 1200 elephants. But now things are very different. Most natives have some kind of fire-arm; and the elephants, who are extremely timid, rarely make a foray on cultivated lands, but have retired into the depths of wild jungles, where they cannot do the slightest harm. I, therefore, while encouraging the destruction of rogues by liberal rewards, placed a heavy fine on the slaughter of inoffensive beasts without a license, which license had to receive the sanction of the Governor. No so called sport can be more degrading, in my opinion, than the butchery of poor harmless cow elephants and their little calves which play round the dead bodies of their mothers till they too are shot down. They have no ivory, they are not good to eat, they are inoffensive, and, generally speaking, the risk is about as great as going among a herd of shorthorns and shooting them right and left.