Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-09-15
ELEpHANTS 1T WORK.

pass u lOElulBuL III hu blbDuhAt bhhB VI tho |
Anmallai Hills, in the heart of the govern
ment teak forests.
Eight trained elephants were fed almost at
the door of my hut, every morning, and work.
ed near the camp daily, dragging aud piling |
timber.
I made friends with them at the start, by
standing treat with half-dozen cocoanuts,
the meat of which they received from my
hands with many grunts of satisfaction.
The old gray bearded elephant doctor intro
duced them to me by name, one after another;
and at the proper moment each one made
more or less graceful sdIddm, or salute, with
his trunk.
With due ceremony l formed the acquain-
tance of AEpi Rajah, (king of elephants!) } silva
(the Destroyer Omar, Choompa, Bheemrut-
tee, and others whose names do not now
remember.
The camp was situated in the midst Of a
beautiful bamboo jungle, above which tower
ed the lofty teak and blackwood trees. The
bamboos grew in thick clumps like tufts of
gigantic grass, which in fact they are.
The slender, hollow stems we're from fifty
to sixty feet high feathered to their very tips
with fine green leaves; and each one was as
graceful and pretty as an ostrich plume. AT
that season of the r-midsummer-each
clump was sending up young shoots which
were tender, juicy and succulent, like aspara-
gus stalks, twenty feet high.
As soon as morning dawned the mahouts
(drivers) would start out into the jungle, to
hunt up their elephants and bring them into
camp. In an hour or two, when all had re-
ported, they were marched down to the river
which flowed past the camp and allowed to
bathe
remember one morning in particular, when
witnessed the bathing of the elephants. The
first elephant in the line, which CHANGED to be
Siva was ridden into the water where it was
two or three feet deep, and commanded to lie
down.
With a dissatisfied "t0unl-Dlm i' and a
grunt of expostulation, the huge knees were
bent and the ponderous body came down, un-
til the the old fellow lay fiat upon his side.
As the water closed around his head he would
stretch up his trunk to breathe, and give
grunt which plainly said, "I'm in for it now,
and l suppose l must go through it."
Sivas mahout then proceeded to rub him
vigorously on his side which was uppermost
and after a while he was made to turn over
and have his other side washed. By-and-by
he was allowed TO rise to his feet, and with
the water dripping from his fsnks, marched
| out upon the bank and gave notice that he
was ready for breakfast.
| The other elephants were treated in the
same way, except that some were allowed to
| kneel in the water while being washed, in
stead of being made to lie down like silva.
While this was going on, a couple of coolies
had been busy getting breakfast for the herd.
Just in front of my hut a large fire was burn
| ing, and over it were two huge copper pans
full of rice, boiling in water.
The government allowance of rice is twenty
five pounds per day to each elephant but
just then it was a time of famine all over all
the low country, rice was scarce, and think
the elephants were kept on a short allowance.
For all that they were as plump and healthy
| creatures as one could wish to see.
Breakfast was usually over by nine o'clock
The drag-ropes were then brought out, and at
the word of command each elephant lifted a
fore-foot and held it up; his mahout stepped
upon it with both feet seized the animals ear
and scrambled up the fore-leg to his place
astride the neck and forthwith they were off
to work
From the forest, where the teak trees had
been felled and squared up, the elephants
dragged the timbers, one by one, through the
jungle to the timber depot near the camp.
From that point road led out of the forest,
and the logs were hauled away on heavy bull
lock-carts.
The timbers were usually from fifteen to
twenty feet long and about foot square, and
being of hard wood they were very heavy.
sort of handle called drag-hole was al
ways hewn on an upper corner of each log at
one end, in which the drag rope was tied.
For some reason which never could fully
understand, the elephants in the Animallai
forest were not worked with regular harness
of collar, girth and traces as they are in most
parts OF India. The drag rope is made of the
tough but soft inner bark of a tree (called the
gdca RdI); and one end is very large and loose
ly twisted so that an elephant can take it be-
tween his teeth without any discomfort.
| Whan the nahouf has fiad fna roma fast in
the drag hole he mounts his animal gives the
word of command, and the intelligent beas
immediately lays hold of the rope with his
trunk, lifts the free end and places it care
fully between his huge grinders. The mex
moment he shuts his teeth firmly upon the
rope, stiffens his neck, with his head ben
sideways toward the weight, leans well for
ward and marches slowly off with the los
dragging along by his side.
II the ground is moist and the log slips we'll
the giant marches along for nearly hundred
and fifty yards; then he must stop and let g
the rope to rest for few minutes. If th,
ground is rough, or the way lies up hill, hI
must rest every fifty yards or so.
Sometimes very hard pull comes in cross
ing brook where there is a bank to 60 up
One day came across old Arni Rajah wher'
he was trying to pull an uncommonly heav.
log up the steep bank of a nullah; and half
|
e In few minutes he lifted the rope, put
3 between his teeth and gripped it firmly, AM
attempted to go on. The log stuck in the we
l clay and he could not move it, A second tim
he tried, but failed, and l waited to see wha
t would next be done
- The mahout saw that his elephant was Rbou
to be dsgraeed, as he supposed, and he oalle
i ont sharply to him in tone of reproach,-
s "Why, Rdjdh! Don't you see the whit
. ! looEinu Of Tin grffI al an
father"
=, He spoke in the Tamil language, of course
+ and although Arni Rajah could not have con
8 pretended the meaning of the words, tn
tones of reproach and encouragement wer
: enough.
:, The old fellow seemed to realize the situ'
IT ton as well as any one. He shut his jaws Il
pether like wise, with a quick movemeI
s wrapped his huge trunk tightly around th
Is rope as far down as he could reach, threw b
e massive body forward with all his force, an
4 snaked the log to the top of the bank and @
10 to the level beyond
y AS the noble animal let go the rope an
rs stopped to rest called out, "Well done, r.
g iah' !" ane the mahout turned his face towal
ie me with a broad grin of satisfaction. III
p next moment he began to pat his elephan
ie exclaiming in Tamil
Y, .sYou have done WELL my father! YC
a. shall have a lump of juggsry [brown suga
u to night"
IA But it was in the timber-yard that tho
giant workers showed to the most striking a
ne vantage. The degree of intelligence the
ki manifested in disposing of the logs was real
ct quite wonderful, and quite surpassed an
Id thing ever saw in other domestic animal
BY no matter how well trained they might be.
ct As elsewhere, each elephant was ridden
d. a mahout who sat astride his neck. By a fe
OF words, or the pressure of his knees, or tou
~ of his iron heidu driving goad), the driv
ordered each act of service, and the amin
!, was left to perform it in his own way.
Al- After the timbers had been dragged to I
ais depot. it was necessary to pile them togeth
ed automatically In the first place, three 10
,ar were dragged up and placed side by side up
,v the ground about seven feet apart. The