ther down his rugged cheeks.
Many, indeed, of the elephants wept and sobbed when they found
themselves hopelessly captives.

Corrals are always erected near some river or lake, where the
newly-captured elephants may be indulged in the luxury in which they so
much delight. To convey the wild elephant to the water, a tame one is
placed on each side of him. A collar is then formed round his neck of
cocoa-nut rope, to which ropes are attached, secured also by similar
collars round the necks of the tame ones. This done, the ropes round
his legs are removed, and he is marched away by his companions to the
water. The curious part of this operation, we remarked, was the way in
which the tame elephant defended his rider from the blows of the wild
one's trunk. No attempt, I observed, was made to noose the trunks.
Probably from their being very sensitive organs, too much injury would
be inflicted on the elephants by so doing.

After the poor animals had enjoyed their baths, they were secured to
trees in the forest, with three or more grass or leaf cutters a-piece to
supply them with food. Their education was now to begin, and Mr
Fordyce told us that in three or four months they would be sufficiently
tamed to go to work. Both he and Nowell, who had seen a bull-fight in
Spain, said that it did not at all come up in interest to the scene we
had been witnessing, while there was far more cruelty employed, and a
larger amount of danger, in consequence of the assistance afforded by
the tame elephants. At the same time, the courage and activity
displayed by a Spanish piccador or matador is infinitely superior to
that which a Singhalese nooser is compelled to exert. Of one thing I am
certain, that in a state of freedom the elephant as a rule is certainly
neither savage nor revengeful, and considering his power to inflict
injury, he is rather a timid animal than otherwise. In captivity, if he
gets out of health, he is liable to fits of obstinacy and irritability,
when he has been known to inflict injury for which, on his recovery, he
has afterwards exhibited the most undoubted sorrow and repentance. How
often is the same disposition exhibited by children from the same cause,
and how speedily, on recovering their health, is their amiability
restored! So we must not be over-harsh in judging of the poor
elephants, who have not the reasoning powers even of a young child.

The mode of training an elephant, as described to me, and a