Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-07-28
aatistellaneuus 8eading.
HUNTING BIG GAME IN INDIA.
Lucky Shot that Stopped Wild Ele-
plants Charge.

est elephant ever killed in India,
writes Edwin Pinches in Forest and
Stream. 1T measured ten feet four
inches in height from the shoulder
and the circumference of foot was
sixty-two inches; it was 'goonda'-
solitary mule. 1t had been giving
considerable trouble fighting our
keonkies, and 1 applied to the govern
ment for permission to shoot the
brute. One night the elephant anus
ed itself by breaking down the serv-
ants tent and nearly killed two men.
"I had a small camp, and several
friends were staying with me to see
the wild elephants taken out OF the
stockade. We were all admiring them
when one of my elephant hunters
rushed up and said that the goonda
was going for the keonkies. This was
most serious, as some of the wild ele-
plants were at that very moment rop-
ed to tame ones and being tied up to
trees. If the goonda got among them
some elephants would probably be
killed anu Certainly Solle VI 'hS N'
vers.
There was only one thing to do.
The goonda must be stopped at all
costs. Selling my rifle, .45O bore
high velocity, I ran into the forest to
cut him off. 1 had not gone more
than twenty yards in the forest be-
fore 1 saw the huge brute, but what
was more to the point he also saw me.
There was just one moment OF hesl-
tation, when he seemed undecided
whether to go for the keonkies or to
come for me- He decided on the latter
course and with a shrill trumpet
charged straight down on me, the
very incarnation Of rage. 1t was a
glorious sight, one of those moments
which make life worth living. l let
him get within ten yards, then shot
him clear through the brain. He drop
ped stone dead TO the one shot, shak-
ing the earth as he fell, and one more
trophy was added to my collection.
Hunting big game is one of the
most exciting and interesting of
sports. Assam is but little known
outside of India, and yet in its dense
jungles roam the elephant, rhinoce-
ros, buffalo, tiger, bear, etc.
Even in the present day there are
huge tracts Of virgin forest teeming
with game of all descriptions. Per-
haps for the true lovers of sport the
most interesting is the catching OF
wild elephants. These roam the hills
of Assam in large numbers; fire.
quently as many as hundred have
been captured in a single drive.
"Of course there are several ways
of catching elephants In Assam 1t
is generally done by driving them into
a stockade, or else by what is called
'mela shikar' In the case of the lat
ter only one elephant can be caught
at a time and not over about six feet
six inches in height. The method is
as follows: Two fast female tame ele-
plants are usually chosen. On the
back of each elephant is driver and
one other to help with the ropes. The
elephants are taken into the forest
where wild elephants are known to-
be.
Search is then made for fresh
tracks of a herd. When these are
found the herd is followed up till the
tame elephants get in among the wild
ones. The one to be hunted is then
selected and the tame ones gradually
edge up close to it, stopping when it
does and feeding alongside it. A
young female is generally chosen. AS
soon as each tame elephant has closed
in on each side of the wild one rope
with a moose is thrown over the neck
of the latter by the driver Of each
tame elephant. AS soon as he feels
the rope the wild one bolts, and the
tame elephants have to chase till he
is finally run down, which is general
ly done in about one hour.
1.-The elephant drivers have to be
very careful, as they are liable to be
knocked off by branches Of trees or
overhanging creepers. This kind of
hunting calls for great endurance and
is only done by natives.
THE best way to hunt elephants is
by driving. Usually about the end of
October the elephants come down
from the hills to the salt licks. These
are dotted about at the foot of the hills.
Every year in Assam the right to
catch elephants is put up to auction
by the government officials and
knocked down to the highest bidder.
Whoever has purchased what is call
ed the 'mehal has the sole right to
catch elephants and proceed to the
hunting districts and near one of the
salt licks much frequented by ele-
plants proceeds to erect a stockade.
"A large number of coolies are en-
ployed. These cut down the trees in
the forest into posts and drive them
firmly into the ground. They are
bound together, and long posts are
braced against them for support. In
ly about feet deep and feet wide,
is made right around the stockade.
This is done to prevent the elephants
from using their great strength
against the stockade.
Along both sides leading to the en-
closure trees are felled and a guiding
fence made leading right to the salt
lick and left open at the side the ele-
plants usually enter the salt lick. A
huge gate is made and this is closed by
a rope. Big pieces of timber are used
for barrcading it from the outside.
The inside Of the stockade is left as
near like nature as possible, and
around the enclosure men are placed
on platforms among the trees, watch
ing night and day, as there is no tell
ing when the elephants will visit the
salt licks. Along the tops of the trees
leading to the salt licks clackers are
fixed to string which runs along
past the salt licks, so that when the
string is pulled they make great
noise.
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