In The Meantime, Two Hunters
Gallop Up Behind The Elephant, Unseen By The Animal, Whose
Attention Is Completely Directed To The Horse Almost Within His
Grasp.
With extreme agility, when close to the heels of the
elephant, one of the hunters, while at full speed,
Springs to the
ground with his drawn sword, as his companion seizes the bridle,
and with one dexterous two-handed blow he severs the back sinew.
He immediately jumps out of the way and remounts his horse; but
if the blow is successful, the elephant becomes disabled by the
first pressure of its foot upon the ground; the enormous weight
of the animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered helpless.
The hunter who has hitherto led the elephant immediately turns,
and riding to within a few feet of the trunk, he induces the
animal to attempt another charge. This, clumsily made, affords an
easy opportunity for the aggageers behind to slash the sinew of
the remaining leg, and the immense brute is reduced to a
standstill; it dies of loss of blood in a short time, THUS
POSITIVELY KILLED BY ONE MAN WITH TWO STROKES OF THE SWORD!
This extraordinary hunting is attended with superlative danger,
and the hunters frequently fall victims to their intrepidity. I
felt inclined to take off my cap and make a low bow to the
gallant and swarthy fellows who sat before me, when I knew the
toughness of their hearts and the activity of their limbs. One of
them was disabled for life by a cut from his own sword, that had
severed the knee-cap and bitten deep into the joint, leaving a
scar that appeared as though the leg had been nearly off; he had
missed his blow at the elephant, owing to the high and tough
dried grass that had partially stopped the sword, and in
springing upon one side, to avoid the animal that had turned upon
him, he fell over his own sharp blade, which cut through the
bone, and he lay helpless; he was saved by one of his comrades,
who immediately rushed in from behind, and with a desperate cut
severed the back sinew of the elephant.
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