The Penn's Grove record., 1884-08-09
NUMBER |
Elephants ID Cey1On

An elephant hunter says "Just at
nightfall some OF the elephants that had
already crossed to the kraal side of the
river came down TO the stream, bathed,
drank and disported themselves in the
water for a while, and then went back
into the jungle. Soon after an old cow
elephant, with a young n following
her, came out of the thicket on the
other side, marched into the river,
drank and passed over. Then, at short
intervals, two or three at a time, the
other elephants followed. 1t was a
pretty sight to see the huge beasts, after
their many days of anxiety, WEAKNESS,
fright and deprivation Of water-the
elephants greatest luxury-enjoying
themselves in the cooling stream. They
rolled, wallowed, threw great spouts of
water high in the air from their great
trunks, splashed each other as if III
play, and finally slowly moved their
ponderous forms across to the opposite
side of the river-that upon which we
lay awaiting them. The peaceful calm
that lay so treacherously upon the coun-
try before them, doubtless lulled them
to a delusive hope that they had at
length made their escape from the ha-
RAISING pandemonium behind them.
Poor brutes, they were quietly walking
into captivity. No sooner we're they
all safely across than their tormentors
were after them cutting off their line
of retreat and hurrying them along over
the half-mlle still between them and
the kraal.
cat daybreak Europeans and natives
joined in the final drive in. AS the
elephants neared the kraal, huge wood
fires were lighted behind them, to
brighten them from breaking back when
they caught sight of the stockade.
They did attempt a charge to the rear
when they saw the narrowing lines OF
the stockade leading to the kraal, which
they seemed to understand meant to
rob them of their freedom. Tie howl
ing heaters fled before them n dismay,
for their charge was one Of ferocious
desperation, but the European hackers
stood firm, and the fires were there, so
the poor beasts gave up their mad at
tempt Cor liberty, and, with a wild
trumpeting, abandoned Ciie h2nt ana
bolted into the enclosure. The barriers
were quickly erected behind them, and
they were prisoners. Twenty-four ele-
plants of various sizes were captured,
two of them very fine large beasts, and
four or five very small ones. This was
by no means such a result as had beer
expected, for only three days before the
kraaling there were fifty elephants be-
fore the beaters. A shower put out the
beaters' fire however, and half the herd
escaped in the darkness of night. 1t is
very doubtful whether the kraal was a
pecuniary success, since so much effort,
time and outlay was made, with such
disproportionate results.
las soon as the jungle had been to
some extent chopped and tramplet
down, so as to give a clear field for
action, half a dozen tame elephants,
with mahouts and noosers, were sent
in to COS the wild elephants. The
noosers managed with much skill the
throwing of a stout rope made into a
loop-as a cowboy uses his lariat-so as
to catch each wild elephant in turn by
a hind leg. The rope would be made
fast at the other end to one of the tame
pipnhnnfQ A. Gnpn aG tha tapna hrt.ta
would feel that a catch had been made,
it would start off at a slow, deliberate,
cool and uncOncerned gait in the dlrec-
ton of the grand stand, where The ty-
ing up wasdone, dragging behind it the
captured animal. An elephant hauled
along backward by one extended hind
leg is at a serious disadvantage. 1t
cannot claw and hold on to the ground
with any great effect. About all it can
do is to below, and that it does ener-
getically and wofully. Whenever one
made any great effort at resistance a
second tame elephant followed along,
pushing with its trunk against the
struggling creature. Then each beast
was tied up, and some of them grew
quite furious. One little fellow after
being tied up for twenty hours was still
so mad about it hat he would grow al
most frantic with rage whenever any
body went near to him. In two days
more work the whole herd had been
tied up, and the job of %subjugating
them began. For that had 10 time to
wait"