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Kli
eto, but the code is different from the one that is now in use either at Baroda or Kolbapur. The elephant, though naturally timid in disposition, is able to destroy men in war if properly trained. The last lesson received by the elephant is how to destroy men ( faftig anafor p. 186, sl, 1194). In this book no less than five methods of catohing elephants are given. One of them is Vāribandha, which corresponds to the well-known Kheddah operations. A mention of this in Mānasollāsa shows that the method was in vogue in those days, but was afterwards forgotten, as may be seen from the following lines of G. P. Sanderson in his “ Thirteen Year among the Wild Beasts of India pp. 101 and 103.
" Some of the Maharaja's mahouts who were amongst my following had been accustomed to catch single elephants with trained females, and in pitfalls, but they had never heard of any one attempting the cap. ture of a whole herd. It was said that Hyder bad made a trial, a centnry before, in the Kakankote jungles, but had failed, and had recorded his opinion that no one would ever succeed and his curse upon any one that attempted to do so, on a stone still standing near the scene of bis endeavours. Consequently all the true Mussulmans who were with me regarded the enterprise as hopeless, though they judiciously kept that opinion to themselves.”
(p. 101)
I was determined to make the scheme succeed if possible, not only from my love of adventure and the necessit.y for executing what I had suggested to
Aho ! Shrutgyanam
