The Wild Elephant and the Method of Capturing and Taming it in Ceylon |
Other editions - View all
The Wild Elephant: And the Method of Capturing and Taming it in Ceylon J. Emerson Tennent Limited preview - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
Adam's Peak ÆLIAN Africa African elephant amongst animal appears approach ARISTOTLE assailant attempted Badulla body branches brushwood captive captured elephant Ceylon close coco-nut Colombo companions corral creature Ctesias decoys described display drive Dutch elephant of Ceylon elephant's enclosure evinced excitement exhibited fallacy feet female fence foot force fore forest frequently front ground habits head hind legs horse hunters India Indian elephant instinct island ivory jungle Kandy Kandyan keddah keeper killed latter length limbs mahout Major SKINNER males Menageries natives nature night noose noosers observed occasions oesophagus passage passed peculiar phant PHILE pingoes proboscis rest Rodiyas rogue rope rushed sagacity says secured seen shot shoulder side Singhalese Sir EVERARD HOME Siribeddi sportsmen stockade stomach strength stud tank timidity tion Trachea tree trumpeting trunk tusker tusks vicinity watchers weight whilst whole herd wild elephants wounded young δὲ καὶ τῶν
Popular passages
Page 96 - I can o'ersway him ; for he loves to hear That unicorns may be betrayed with trees, And bears with glasses, elephants with holes, Lions with toils, and men with flatterers : But when I tell him he hates flatterers, He says he does ; being then most flattered.
Page 53 - I took up my post of observation on the overhanging bough ; but I had to remain for upwards of two hours before anything was to be seen or heard of the elephants, although I knew they were within 500 yards of me. At length, about the distance of 300 yards from the water, an unusually large elephant issued from the dense cover, and advanced cautiously across the open ground to within 100 yards of the tank, where he stood perfectly motionless.
Page 115 - ... assembled to drive them back. At last the elephants are forced onwards so close to the enclosure, that the investing cordon is united at either end with the wings of the corral, the whole forming a circle of about two miles, within the area of which the herd is detained to await the signal for the final drive.
Page 133 - ... about it in a way that showed a thorough relish for it, as an agreeable pastime. Their caution was as remarkable as their sagacity ; there was no hurrying, no confusion, they never ran foul of the ropes, were never in the way of...
Page 134 - More than once when a wild one was extending his trunk, and would have intercepted the rope about to be placed over his leg, Siribeddi, by a sudden motion of her own trunk, pushed his aside and prevented him ; and on one occasion, when successive efforts had failed to put the noose over the leg of an elephant which was already secured by one foot, but which wisely put the other to the ground as often as it was attempted to pass the noose under it, I saw the decoy watch her opportunity, and when his...
Page 124 - The herd again collected in a circle, with their heads towards the centre. The largest male was singled out, and two tame ones pushed boldly in, one on either side of him, till the three stood nearly abreast. He made no resistance, but betrayed his uneasiness by shifting restlessly from foot to foot.
Page 82 - I began to think that he was proof against my weapons. Having fired thirty-five rounds with my two-grooved rifle, I opened fire upon him with the Dutch six-pounder; and when forty bullets had perforated his hide, he began for the first time to evince signs of a dilapidated constitution.
Page 52 - I knew that of necessity a very large herd of elephants, which had been in the neighbourhood all day, must resort to it at night. " On the lower side of the tank, and in a line with the embankment, was a thick forest, in which the elephants sheltered themselves during the day. On the upper side and all around the tank there was a considerable margin of open ground. It was one of those beautiful bright, clear, moonlight nights, when objects could be seen almost as distinctly as by day, and I determined...
Page 32 - ... it almost asunder, whereon the beast relying, by the fall of the tree falls also down itself, and is able to rise no more.
Page 123 - ... she moved slowly along with a sly composure and an assumed air of easy indifference; sauntering leisurely in the direction of the captives, and halting now and then to pluck a bunch of grass or a few leaves as she passed. As she approached the herd, they put themselves in motion to meet her, and the leader, having advanced in front, and passed his trunk gently over her head, turned and paced slowly back to his dejected companions. Siribeddi followed with the same listless...