Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-01-22

position of honor and fixed Asiatic
convention Is a bad one for photog-
raphers the king. who Is an enthu-
siast over the camera, has had spe-
cial pavilion constructed at one side,
where he manoeuvres his instruments,
large and small, with the greatest
spirit. Nearly every one carries a
camera to the elephant hunt, but none
snap at royalty, except by request, in
so highly civilized a country as Siam.
AS the wild elephants crowd up and
into the narrow chute leading to the
kraal, trumpeting and shuffling ner-
vously in their fright, the scramble
and crush Is terrific. After the huge
logs have closed the wicket or port
cullis the tame elephants % around as
an ambulance corps, assisting bruised
and injured elephants to move and rise
to their feet and turning the dead ones
out of the way. At every hunt sew
eral beasts have their ribs broken and
the life crushed out Of them in this
crush at the gates, for when two fran
tic elephants try to go through at once
neither one yields or draws back, and
the strongest and largest survives.
After this panic mildly subsidies,
though the kraal is filled with the wild
jungle folk. who trumpet and scream
increasingly, the elephant doctors
move about on their trained tuskers
and note the desirable catches. The
chosen ones are lassoed by the foot and
made fast to stakes. A few are chos-
en- for the royal stables. but the rest
go the practical commercial way-to
the survey camps and the teak for
ests.
There Is great contrast between the
sleek, fat, we'll fed and well groomed
tame elephants, with their quiet dig
nifty, their benign and easy manoeu-
vres, and the sorry looking jungle
folk-gaunt. weather worn elephants,
with visible ribs and patches OF fun
gous growth-but a few weeks OF care
and food, a few scribbings and oilings
transform them. and they soon ac-
quire the urbane manner and compo-
sure.
Every Siamese Is q connoisseur and
critic of elephants, and judges unerr-
ingly from the wild herd. First, the
creature should have good skin, un-
SCARED, of uniform wrinklings or
texture, and as light in color as possi-
BILE.
His toes should have black nails and
his tail must be absolutely intact.
insignificant as the elephants tail Is,
the want of 1t renders the creature
impossible and ridiculous; and many
q promising elephant Is rejected at
the kraal because he has lost his tail
In some jungle fight. A steady, even
gait is necessary for the elephant to
be used In travelling.
When the wild elephants have been
chosen and made fast to stakes they
sometimes break loose and wreak their
frenzy on the first animal in sight,
the battles royal between fierce tusk-
ers often occur. Then the air rings
with the shouts Of the people and the
Siamese thinks he has had a royal
holiday indeed.
When the final choice has been
made and the. rejected elephants are
turned back into the meadow, fed and
freed. the king rises and goes to MS
boat. The king Of Siam Is one OF the
most kingly looking men now gracing
throne-"the handsomest man In
Asia" many Of the diplomats call him
and in his white military uniform
he steps off at pace that puts the
royal umbrella bearer at dog trot to
keep up with the strenuous ruler.
At sight Of the king in his European
clothes, under his Asiatic umbrella,
the people sink on their heels and re-
main in a pose of reverent humility
until he has passed. Then the people,
who have enjoyed the holiday to the
full, take a fresh betel quid. tuck up
their panungs, paddle away or wade
the stream. and Ayuthia becomes
again but a busy water village near
some ruined temples in the Jungle.