Storia do Mogor 263.1
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 263.1
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263.1.1
As I have promised to speak about elephants, I will give a brief account of them, but it will not be what some of the ancients wrote. What I am to relate is founded on true information obtained from various hunters of these animals, and also from what I have seen. I shall speak of their manner of engendering, their birth, and the means by which they are captured in various places ; how to domesticate them with ease, and other matters. All the grandees in the Mogul country are desirous of owning them, simply to be able to say that they are lords of such-and-such a number of elephants.
263.1.2
These animals, when they desire to approach the female, show it by certain signs. They discharge from holes near the ears a black and very fetid oil. [The author enters into further details which I do not reproduce.] Ordinarily, elephants live in herds, where there are one hundred and fifty, two hundred, and up to three hundred. All accompany the female, while the elephants of other neighbouring herds withdraw on hearing the cries of the female about to bring forth. Should any of them remain, the male elephants belonging to the herd of the said female attack them and kill them. After delivery, they remain in that jungle for some days until the young one can travel ; at its birth it is the size of a calf three months old. The mother runs her trunk over it until it is cleansed and quite dry, then she helps it up with her trunk. It feeds by passing between the legs of its mother to her teats, stretches out its little trunk along the mother's stomach, and sucks the milk with its mouth. In this way it is reared for two years, and the third year the mother becomes pregnant again. The infant elephant grows four inches every year, but it grows no more when it gets to twelve feet (covados, literally ' cubits ' ?) ; and usually they reach one hundred years of age.
263.1.3
The mode of hunting the elephant is in Cochin as follows : They make large pits on the paths over which the animals pass, as recognised by their footmarks. Then they put sticks, straw, and earth over these pits, so that the elephant cannot discover them. Passing from one place to another, they fall into the pit, and there they are left for some days, giving them very little food. On finding that from hunger the animal is more gentle, they begin little by little to fill up the pit to a height which enables a man to mount on the elephant. Its feet are bound by heavy iron chains ; then, in company of domesticated elephants, it is removed somewhere else, after which it readily becomes submissive. In Ceylon elephants are hunted in another way. In the forests where the elephants go to and fro they clear some ground of the large trees standing on it, making a sort of half-moon, which is palisaded everywhere, leaving in the middle a very narrow entrance. On both sides of this they plant strong stakes close together in form of a stockade. This is covered over with leafy branches, as also the end of the stockade, all well fixed on.
263.1.4
These preparations made, they let loose a domesticated female elephant anointed with a certain oil. She goes to find the elephants. These, attracted by the scent of the oil, follow in her wake until she reaches the half-moon. There she pauses and waits for the arrival of all the elephants dwelling in that wood. Finally, the female moves very slowly into the passage, and all the assembled elephants follow her. Thus, when they are once inside, they are driven in so that they can neither advance nor turn their bodies round. This effected, the hunters go to the farther door, and the domesticated female follows. The wild elephants are stopped by heavy beams, so that the female is let go free and they are prisoners. Jumping into the enclosure, the elephant-drivers mount the captives and tame them, which is ordinarily done by force of hunger and blows. Heavy iron chains and ropes are put upon their feet. One by one they are withdrawn from their prison, and a few little ones are released as being useless, all but one here or there that they see by its points will turn out well. Such a one is sold along with the full-grown animals. The very old ones are killed for their tusks. The natives eat the flesh of the trunk, which is held to be dainty food, having the flavour (so they assert) of pork. By the same method they take elephants in the kingdoms of Aracao (? Arakan), Pegu, and Gueda (Quedda).
263.1.5
Usually there are some superstitions involved in these hunts [146]. It happened in Cochin that an elephant fell into one of the pits described, but was able somehow to get out. To preserve himself and not fall in another time, he began to carry a stake in his trunk, with which he probed the earth where he wanted to go. Thus these animals have great discernment, as I have seen and experienced. There was a youth who was a great hunter. Leaving his companions, he penetrated far into the forest, and close to a river he met an elephant. Seeing the danger to his life if he were pursued, he climbed on to a large tree. Coming after the youth, the elephant, in the hope of seizing him, broke off branches and tried hard to knock the tree down. Finding this impossible, it trumpeted loudly, whereupon there came up a female elephant blind of one eye. The two together recommenced pushing at the tree to uproot it. Seeing that the tree did not move, they began to strike at the roots with their feet. But the earth was too hard, and the female was left on guard at the foot of the tree while the male went to the river as fast as he could go to fetch water in his trunk. He emptied it at the foot of the tree and began to strike, so that the tree shook. The poor youth was in a great fright, realizing his danger ;
263.1.6
but noticing that the female was one-eyed, when the male elephant went for more water the youth hastily descended from the tree on the side of her blind eye and scrambled up a larger tree, whence he watched what they were doing, still somewhat perturbed. The two elephants worked at the tree till they had uprooted it. When they failed to find the youth, the male broke off a branch and gave the female a sound beating, and pursuing her, they disappeared. The elephant had continued its efforts from eight o'clock in the morning until two in the afternoon. The youth awaited nightfall, and then set out to find his companions. From that time forth he never attempted again to follow the chase.
263.1.7
In Africa they hunt elephants in different ways, but only to obtain their tusks. Anyone who wishes may go in their pursuit. Two natives of the country go out, each carrying three asseguais in his hand. These are a sort of small spear about five palms in length, with a very sharp head four fingers in breadth. Coming across some elephant with large tusks, one man quickly gets in front, while the other remains in its rear. The man in front comes out in sight of the elephant and cries out. Perceiving him, the elephant attacks, but the hunter flees and hides. At the same moment the man behind flings an asseguai at the beast's belly and gives a cry. The elephant turns and pursues, taking him for the man first seen. The man in front comes out, and does as the other did. They continue doing thus until the elephant falls. The lower portion of the tusk belongs to the lord of the country, and that nearer the head is the hunter's. This was recounted to me by a mulatto called Joao Pereira, who was long at Mozambique, where he saw the Kaffirs entice elephants by magic arts, preventing them from quitting the forest until they had left their tusks behind them. Through the power of magic they struck their tusks on the trees until they fell to the ground, and then the spell was broken and they were able to escape.
263.1.8
It is also said that there was a man whose only livelihood was the sale of wood, which he brought in person [147] from the forest. Going one day on this business, he found a great stack of wood. He was quite astonished at the quantity collected between one day and the next, yet no one else went to collect wood at that spot. When he arrived opposite the wood-pile to bind his bundle, there suddenly came out an elephant who had been hiding behind it, and had collected all the wood. It seized him without hurting him, and lying down on the ground, it showed him one of its feet, in which a great thorn had stuck. The wood-cutter understood that it wanted help, and plucked out the thorn for him. The elephant rose and moved a pace or two, and tried if his foot still hurt him; then, going to the heap, laid hold with his trunk of a quantity of wood, and went off along the road to the man's home. Seeing that the elephant was doing him service, he followed. It went with him to a certain point and deposited the wood on the ground; then, raising its trunk, it stood before the man a moment or two in sign of gratitude, and departed. The wood-cutter went home with his bundle. Next day he went out to his work as usual, and at the same place where he had parted from the elephant he found a large quantity of wood placed there by it. Ever afterwards it left wood at the same spot, and the man was saved the trouble of a long journey for it.