Indian Antiquary Vol 05

SR No.: 032497
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 438
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 115

MARCH, 1876.]
TRANSLATION OF THE INDICA OF ARRIAN.
93
incision, so that they keep their head and neck of black wine; while their wounds are cured by quite steady by means of the wound, for if they the application of roasted pork. Such are the become restive and turn round, the wound is remedies used by the Indians. galled by the action of the rope. Thus they XV. But the tiger the Indians regard as a shun all violent movements, and, knowing that much more powerful animal than the elephant. they have been vanquished, are now led in Nearchus tells us that he had seen the fetters by the tame ones.
skin of a tiger, though the tiger itself he had XIV. But such as are feeble, or through vi- not seen. The Indians, however, informed him ciousness not worth keeping, their captors allow that the tiger equals in size the largest horse, to escape to their old haunts; while those which but thut for swiftness and strength no other they retain they lead to the villages, where at animal can be compared with it: for that the first they give the green stalks of corn and tiger, when it encounters the elephant, leaps up grass to eat. The creatures, however, having upon the head of the elephant and strangles it lost all spirit, have no wish to eat; but the with ease; but that those animals which we ourIndians standing round them in a circle, soothe selves see and call tigers are but jackals with and cheer them by chanting songs to the ac- spotted skins and larger than other jackals. companiment of the music of drums and cymbals, In the same way with regard to ants also, for the elephant is of all brutes the most intel. Nearchus says that he had not himself seen ligent. Sone of them, for instance, have been a specimen of the sort which other writers known when their riders were slain in battle to declared to exist in India, though he had seen have taken them up and carried them away for many skins of them which had been brought burial; others have covered them, when lying into the Macedonian camp. But Mogastheon the ground, with a shield; and others have nes avers that the tradition about the ants borne the brunt of battle in their defence when is strictly true,--that they are gold diggers, not fallen. There was one even that died of re- for the sake of the gold itself, but because by morse and despair because it had killed its rider instinct they burrow holes in the earth to lie in, in a fit of rage. I have myself actually seen an just as the tiny ants of our own country dig elephant playing on cymbals, while other ele- little holes for themselves, only those in India phants were dancing to his strains : a cymbal | being larger than foxes make their burrows prohad been attached to each foreleg of the perform- portionately larger. But the ground is impreger, and a third to what is called his trunk, and nated with gold, and the Indians thence obtain while he beat in turn the cyrabal on his trunk, their gold. Now Megasthenes writes what he he beat in proper time those on his two legs. had heard from hearsay, and as I have no exThe dancing elephants all the while kept danc- acter information to give I willingly dismiss the ing in a circle, and as they raised and curved subject of the ant. But about parrots Neartheir forelegs in turn they too moved in proper chus writes as if they were a new curiosity, time, following as the musician led.
and tells us that they are indigenous to India, The elephant, like the bull and the horse, and what like they are, and that they speak engenders in spring, when the females emit with a human voice; but for my part, since I breath through the spiracles beside their tem- have myself seen many parrots, and know others ples, which open at that season. The period of who are acquainted with the bird, I will accordgestation is at shortest sixteen months, and ingly say nothing about it as if it were still never exceeds eighteen. The birth is single, as unfamiliar. Nor will I say aught of the apes, in the case of the mare, and is suckled till it either touching their size, or the beauty which reaches its eighth year. The elephants that live distinguishes them in India, or the mode in which longest attain an age of two hundred years, but they are hunted, for I should only be stating many of them die prematurely of disease. If what is well known, except perhaps the fact they die of sheer old age, however, the term of that they are beautiful. Regarding snakes, too, life is what has been stated. Diseases of their Nearch us tells us that they are caught in eyes are cured by pouring cows' milk into them, the country, being spotted, and nimble in their and other distempers by administering draughts movements, and that one which Peitho the
|| Cf. Herod. III. 102, and Ind. Ant. vol. IV. (August 1875) p. 293.