Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-10-04
Elephants nj Work,

for "sl ecimcns" for n natural history CO
lection. It was during this time that ]
lad occasion to pass a fortnight in an "ele
ohlnt camp on the Animallai Hills, in
ne heart o! the government teak forests
Eight trained elephants were fed almost
4 The door of my hut, every incoming
md worked near the camp daily, dragging
md piiing timber.
| nude friends with them at the start,
bf standing treat with half-dozen cocoa
pnt', the meat of which they received
from my hands with many grunts of sat
isiaction The old gray bearded elephant
| ioctOr introduced them to me by name
me after another; and at the proper mo.
nent each one made a more or less grace.
tul StihGm, or salute with his trunk.
Withdue ceremony formed the acquain- |
lnce of Arni Railh, (king Of elephantsN !
) VI (hc dos'royer) Omar, Choompa, |
8neemrut'ec, AMI others whose names | !
- not now remember.
fha camp was situated in the midst of |
bentitnl bamboo jungle, above which |
covered the Lofty teak and blackwood |
trees. The bamboos grew in thick c,umps
like tufts of gigantic grass. which in fact
they are.
The slender, hollow stems were from
| fifty to sixty feet high, feathercd to their
very tips with fine green leaves; and each
one WAS rs graceful and pretty as an
ostrich plume. At that season of the year
-mdsummer-each clump was sending
up Young shoots which were tender, juicy
md succucnt, like asparagus stalks, TWEEN
| Y feet high.
As soon as morning dawned, the mahouts
| Che driverS) would start out into the jun
gle to hunt up the elephants and to bring
mem into camp, In an hour or two,
when all had reported, they were marched
| town TO the river which flowed past the
camp and allowed to battle.
remember one morning in particular,
when | witnessed the bathing of the ele
pnants, The first elephant in the line,
which chanced TO be silva, was ridden
INTO the water where it was to or three
eet deep, and commanded to lie down.
With Il dissatisfied "t0un1- m mr. and a
grunt of cXpostulation, the huge knees
we're bent and the ponderous body came
down until 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 a grunt which plainly
said I'm in for 1t now, and | suppose l
must 90 through it,"
Sivas mahout then proceeded to rub
him vigorously on his side which was
uppermost; and after q 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 drip
plug from his fanks, marched out upon
the bank and gave notice that he was
really for breakfast.
1 bo 9TH oln,1ha,,fc i1,aato1 in tho
same way, except that some we're allowed
to kneel in the water while being washed,
Instead of being made to lie down like
silva.
While this was going on, a couple of
coolies had been getting breakfast for the
herd. Just in front Of my hut large fire
was burning, and over it were two huge
copper pans full of rice boiling in water.
The government allowance of rice is
twenty pounds per day to each elephant; ;
but Just then ii was tine of famine all
over all the low country, rice was
scarce, and l think the elephants were
kept on short allowance. For all that,
they were as plump and healthy creatures
us 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 fore foot and held it up !,
his mahout stepped upon it with both feet,
seized the animals ear and scrambled up
his fore leg to his place astride the neck !;
aud forthwith they were off to work.
From the forest, where the teak trees
had been felled and squared up the ele
plants dragged the timber, one by one,
= through the Jungle to the timber depot
near the camp.
The imbers were usually from fifteen
: to twenty feet long and about foot square,
and being hard wood were very heavy.
4 sort OF handle called the drag hole
was always hewn on an upper corner of
each log ri one end, in which the drag
rope was t!ed.
For some reason which | never could
understand, The elephants in the Anmallai
forest were not worked with regular
harness of collar, girth and traces, as
they are in most parts of India. The drag
= rope is u.adc of the tough, but soft inner
bark Of tree (callcd the rdca na1); and
one end - very large and loosely twisted
so that the elephant can take it between
his teeth without any discomfort.
When the mahout has tied the rope fast
liz the drag hole he mounts his animal,
4
, gives. the word OF command, ana me nc
|, intelligent beast lnme1laIely I:a lays noln OF
= the rope WIN ms ltuhk' l'iLs .ne nteo emu
and an places 1t between ms hugo grledors
f inc next moment a!oi ne sha!s MS eeetn nrmiy
upon 'ue rope, s.llllehs MS 1ech' VIII; hiS
+ head bent sideways toward Tue Weisht,
, leans wen forward ana marches slowly OH
!, with the log dragging along Dy MS slde'
;, IL the ground Is moist ana tne 10y silpS
h wei, lhe giant marches along LOT nearly a
: hundred ana hftV yards; then ne must
stop and let go OF the rope 10 rest ior
, lew minutes. IL me ground IS rouSh' or
the way lies up hill' ne must rest eVerV
iitty yards or So
! Sometimes n very hard pun comes IN
I, crossing brook where there Is II bank tc
= 90 up One day came across Old Arm
,, hiIan Where ne was Trying 10 tpuii aI
uncommonly heavy log up the steep bank
OF nuIdh; and halt way up the slope he
mad stopped 10 rest;
a