The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1903-06-26
CATCHING WILD ELEPHANTS.
Methods New and Old by Which the
huge Beasts Have Been
Taken

From the time when the world was
made, dusty elephant herds may have
come in winter to the Chittagong
| jungles. Ancient kings of Hind,
writes Stephen French Whitman in
Everybody's Magazine, took them in
pitfalls, and used them in war, or as
symbols of their rank and power in
peace. The English, looking with
western eyes at the great, powerful,
docile beasts, saw that they were
good to bear the guns and stores OF
their army into places where men
alone could not take them; so they,
too, began to trap them in stockades.
The Indian government made an
elephant department that grew with
the years. Men were well paid to
study the ways of elephants, the best
methods of taking and keeping them.
training them, headquarters for men
like Petersen Sahib. This man, the
first great elephant-catcher, reduced
the process of capturing them to "A
science, taking not one or two but so
at coup-a herd complete.
After herd is trapped, tanned ele-
plants have their part to play in
tying up their wild brethren. The
attack by the tame beasts is sudden,
rough and disconcerting. They have
been trained in many dusty COM
bat, and have learned how to conquer
unscientific frenzy by system. Walk
ing in pairs, they drive at the huddled
herd to break it up, to single out
solitary victims and hold them until
they are tied.
Here are two tame elephants that
have got one big, terrified beast be-
tween them. They shunt him dex-
terously from his fellows and wedge
him against a tree, one on each side
Of him. The noosers slip down over
the tame elephants tails, and while
the beasts with blunted tusks jolt
the breath out of their captive, the
men with trailing ropes dodge brave
ly among the massive, scuff1ing feet.
While one may write it, loops are
about the wild ones hind legs and
fast to the tree trunk. At once the
trained beasts draw apart, their driv-
ers dashing dust derisively into the
amazed, enraged prisoners weeping
eyes. Leaving him to strain and bel
low uselessly, the noosers mount; the
drivers turn back into the melee for
another. The clamorous work goes
on and the herd is fettered, beast by
beast, in the heart of its own jungle.
When the sun has set and the last
great knot is tied, order comes from
chaos with the clearing of the bat
tle-cloud. They are all safe, fettered
and shamed jungle kings naked and
in bonds before these little folk with
the master minds.
The sahibs gather under the swing
ing gun-cases and the lighted lamp
in the tent. Smoking sleepily, they
listen to the report of Nur Ali, who
says:
"The tethered herd is in the best
shape. The koomeriahs, the kings
beasts, have all but stopped fighting
against fate already. Because they
are kingly beasts they may be taken
to the river between the tame ones
to battle Then men may be set be-
side them to fan them with palms all
day, and sing to them and break
them to the presence of men. All of
the captives have had sugar-cane, as
was ordered. In five days, then,
when all the elephants have worn
themselves out. it will be possible,
Allah willing, to tie the new ones to
our own beasts and start the march
back"