Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-01
SPORTING SCENES In NEA I'LL.

In submitting the following sketches of
sporting life in the East, have simply to pre-
mise that have constantly resided in India
during the last twenty years, and have been
actively employed for some portion of that
time in the Nepaul territory, which is an in
dependent state, having British representa-
tive at its court, with the title of Resident,
aided by an assistant resident, and a IN edical
officer, with an escort of ITO men. h ave
been induced, at the request of several friends,
to make known some few incidents which
have occurred to me personally, in the course
of various sporting excursions inHthat unex-
plored territory of India, and trust that the
novelty and originality of the facts, to the
faithful representation Of which confidently
pledge myself, may be found of some interest,
especially when it is considered that, from the
nature of our treaties with the Neupal gov
ernment, and their extreme jealousy towards
all Europeans, opportunities similar to those
which have fallen to my lot have never been
afforded to any other British officer.
The Terai, or more properly the Turiya-
nee, long belt, or strip, of low level, and ly-
ing along the border of the provinces of Dude
and Bahar, consists for the most part of for
ests nearly seven hundred miles in length,
and varying from ten to fifteen miles in
breadth. The chief natural produce of the
forest are the oak, the pine, the rattan, and
the bamboo, all of enormous size, affording
cover for almost every animal known in India;
from the stately elephant to the savage tiger,
the pursuit of which occasions much excite
ment, although often attended with conside-
rable dan er.
In many parts of the forests these animals
abound, particularly the elephant, and as the
death Of one of these magnificent animals
will form the principal subject of the present
sketch, will here offer few remarks upon
their nature, and the course pursued by the
Nepaulese in obtaining possession of them,
which differs greatly from the means employ
ed for similar purposes by the British govern
ment in the Chittagong districts, where the
elephants are taken by pitfalls and khedahs.
The former method is Objectionable, because
of the enormous bulk of the animals. When
falling into the trap, about seven out of ten
of them are generally severely injured, and
are thus rendered useless to the government.
The khedah or enclosure ensures only the ia
king of small or half-grown elephants. Re-
markably fine and full grown females are
frequently captured in this manner. In the
Chittagong district are to be found by far the
finest and the largest elephants caught in In
dia, but the difficulty of acclimatizing them
of ten, when sent to the upper provinces, are
preserved ; change of food and, what all ma
tives declare to be greater evil still, change
of '.pawnee," (water,) are supposed to be the
main causes of premature mortality. The
natives of India are firm believers in water,
and every kind of sickness or ailment is inva-
riably laid to the charge of that element and,
being great consumers of that beverage, they
certainly ought, generally speaking, to be
good judges. Be this as it may, the Chhitta-
gong elephants are decided water drinkers,
and so are those in the upper country; we
may therefore infer that the Chittagong wa
ter must be the better suited for these ani-
mails. 1t is, however, injuriously operative
upon humanity, as witness the frightful en-
largement of human legs in that district, ari-
sing from elephantiasis, a disease which eau.
ses a moderate-sized PERSONS leg to become
increased to the dimensions of muscular
W. ,I,s ,fs l.; od
pearing like fringe to his bloated limb. The
catching and tanning of wild elephants furnish
a large source of revenue to the Nepaul gov
ernment. The mode of taking them is this
The Taroos, or elephant catchers, having
marked down wild herd of 300 or 400 ele-
plants, the following preparations are made.
About 200 Taroos collect together, mounted
upon elephants, and accompanied by two large
" taking elephants, highly fed, and kept al
ways musth, (sensual,) and when in that state
their ferocity is such, that no one but their
keeper dares to approach them. The herd of
wild elephants having been started, they get
away trumpeting and whistling into the thick
est part of the forest, hotly pursued by the
mounted Taroos, each of whom is provided
with three or more nooses, which are made of
very strong raw hide, well soaked in oil, and
so ingeniously contrived that, when once at
tached to the elephant, tho hind legs are
gradually drawn together at every step they
take, until he is brought to complete stand
still. The chase continues frequently for
twenty miles at full speed, until, in fact,
the wild herd becomes blown and brought to
q stand. The danger then commences, from
the wild ones dashing at their pursuers, in
their turn causing the most intense excite
ment during half an hour, until the arrival of
the two musth elephants, whose bulk prevents
their keeping up with the more active ones,
ridden by the Taroos- These two elephants,
each having three keepers upon their backs,
dash into the herd. Their appearance, ac-
companied by the powerful nauseous odor
emitted by musth elephants, creates an imme-
diate panic among the wild ones, and soon
paralyzes their efforts of resistance. The ac-
tive little Taroos now slide down from their
steeds, and under cover of one of the musth
elephants, who pushes himself forcibly
against the wild one selected from the herd,
they, in most dexterous and daring manner
slip the moose on to each of the hind legs,
which performance occupies about three min
utes. The noosed elephant is then allowed
to depart, and he goes off evidently delighted ;
but as the moose becomes contracted at every
stride, he finds his intended flight brought to
close, at distance of sixty or seventy