Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-12-23

y,Sshs that are quite impossible for any
wheeled carriage, and will live on very
coarse fare. | believe the Asatic ele
phant 10 the most docile and useful Of
any in the world. The African elephant
is less intelligent and less capable OF
enduring, and in captivity manitests bad
temper, and is always more dangerous to
manage, and manifests little or no affec
zion for his keeper. ! cannot give any
good reasons for this difference in these
useful animals; but it is conceded that it
is so. We have seen great numbers Of
elephants let loose 70 battle and wash in
the river, and they enjoy the sport. They
will walk into the water until ii reaches
nearly up TO their backs, and then, with
their trunks, they will wash their sides
and backs, and they move the water so
rapidly that it is put into foam. They
are not induced TO 60 beyond their
depth, and like to keep their head out OF
water, butwill swim if forced. have no
ticod that among the elephants there will
always be one who will drive all the rest.
He il king. Where he leads the others
follow 1t is the same in their wild state
Semc one will lead the herd. | was sur
prsed TO witness the intelligence Of some
Of these useful animals. They are en-
ployca on the public works, and their
enormous strength enables them with appar-
ent ease to draw stones Of great magnitude,
and. what is more, to place them where
needed. They are used in the constrGc-
ZION OF bridges and will work in the water
all day. They will push a stone as care
fully as gang of 'aen. 1t is interesting
10 sec these huge animals move about
until they get a secure place To stand and
then exert their amazing strength in NOV
ing a stone just as the mason waves his
hand. In the large timbcr-y yards of India
these useful animals are very extensively
used. Ii is only necessary TO watch one
far little while to be satisfied Of the won
dcrtul strength, "a well as sagacity, OF
these animals They are employed in
drawing aud fitting the huge logs used in
ship. building They will draw large logs
over very rough roads from the forests
They will take up log weighing two tons
on their tusks and hold 1t in its place with
sricir proboscis, and carry it apparently
with more ease than fifty coolies would,
When one of these sagaCious animals has
brought you q log from pile, you may
send him for the next log by merely point
ing at it, and he will toll patiently all day
long and make piles of logs, and as nice
ly as aigang of men could do. They are
always very careful not TO injure their
tusls, especially not to break them near
their heads One man, who had large
lumber and timber yard, said il took over
a year TO teach his elephant the lumber
business; but, he added, he never forgot.
These trained elephants will sell in India
from 800 TO 5000 rupees, each, depending
upon the sagacity of the animal
One of these sagacious elephants can be
. 4, 4 81
IL frequently done A Raiah, not far
from lucknow, has large herd, among
them several trained to hunt and subduc
wild ones This Raah is employed by
the Government 10 secure wild elephants,
and has from twenty five dollars to one
hundred and fifty dollars each, depending
spon the age and sex OF the elephant
taken We saw several that had been
quite recently captured but were not
present at the hunt One of these Gle
CHANT tanners will 20 out and join with a
mend OF wild elephants, and sometimes
somc of the wild will follow him into
yard prepared for that purpose. The
males are often captured by the female
elephant 1t is not every female that will
engage in this treaCherous work of de
cetving the male and leading him into
captivity, but there are some who
seen, 10 delight in decoying a
sicum, They sometimes display sur.
Wising skill and perseverance rs we'll
~ courage in accomplishing their
work. The female elephant will follow
the track of the male, and when near one
will commence grazing with the same in
difference of other wild animals. When
the male approaches the female she com
mences cajoling him, and when he be
comes interested in his new companion
Che crafty hunter cautiously Creeps up aud
tssicns n rope around the leg of the wild
one, and then 10 4 tree. As soon rs the
dclpdcd male is secured the female leaves
him to his fate. As soon as the wild one
is Cousg ious OF his condition he becomes
rnraCed and shows a truitleSs fury, which
soon cAhaHsts him. Hunger and thirst,
followed 10y great exhaustion, completely
subduc him and he will then allow him.
self 20 be led by his dcCeittul companion
to places prepared for the training of Gle
phants, where, after while, he becomes
satisfied aud Con,euted with his new con.
diucn. There are numerous devices used
50 decoy Wild elephants by means of the
female
The clephaut. hunters 20 INTO the vicir-
ity where the animal, feed and prepare
Enclosures of great strength, sometimes in
ravinc. The trained elephants are sent
out ard miugle with the wild ones. and
will often decoy number into the in
closure, where they are secured Some
times the hunters will surround large
herd ofwild ones, and with loud noise
alarm the herd, when the tame one will
rush TO the Enclosure, and the Wild ones
,1cn follow.
1t IS often the case that one of the large
Same elephants will join a herd OF wild
X ones and engage some in battle, and while
,hc wild ones are defending themselves