Uncle Dick and Lisa's Old Time Animal Tales

     The following description of an elephant fight is extracted from a Picturesque View along the Ganges, by Lieut. Col. de Forest. An exellent breakfast [says Col. F.] awaited our arrival, after which we passed on to a spacious verandah on the east side of the palace, which looked down into the area prepared for combat; the latter was nearly surrounded by a paling of bamboo, eighteen or twenty feet high. Soon after we were seated the crowd were admitted, and presently filled the circumference of the Theatre below us. Two very large war elephants were brought forward from opposite sides, each preseded by its favorite female, whose presence it appears, is necessary to arouse the anger of these noble animals. The conflict of this part, however, gave little sport, one of them appearing very shy, and inferior to his opponent in strength; they were therefore withdrawn.

      Another pair now advanced led as the first. These approached with a slow and majestic step, until they caught a glimpse of each other; both of them raising their trunks, and uttering a shrill cry, rushed with the most tremendous impetuosity together, presenting their heads to receive the first shock. It was awfully grand. The animals thus stopped in the first career, still continued to strive by every possible exertion of strength and art to force their adversary back, or to attack him in the flank. Their heads, however, still were firmly pressed together, and they alternately rallied. One was of rather smaller size than his antagonist but he appeared to make up for this deficiency by his greater spirit. He retreated a little for the moment, but it was only to renew the charge with increased rage: again they met; the same tremendous concussion took place, and their attacks were several times repeated, until in a last and most desperate one, a tooth of the smallest elephant was broken in two with a loud crash. Still he was not dispirited; and would have persevered longer in the contest; but being now so decidedly inferior to his adversary, the fire-works were thrown between them, which terminated the combat.

     The noble animals kept for this sport are unfit for any other purpose, and are almost ungovernable to the mahauts. They are fed, to bring them to this furious state, on high seasoned food and spices, which in a manner intoxicates them, and renders them furious beyond description. The mahauts, or conductors, sit upon the elephant’s backs during the contest, and too often fall victims to the mad rage of their own animal or the opposing foe. There is a large pad mattrass strongly fixed on the animal’s back, and covered over with a coarse netting of thick white cotton rope; to this the mahaut clings, and as the elephants approach to attack, the rider gradually recedes towards the tail, where he usually is at the moment of the shock, stimulating the already furious animal with his voice and the sharp goad with which the elephants are always driven and guided.