very deerely, and they are had in great regard, and kept with
very meete seruice, euery one of them is in a house, all guilded ouer, and
they haue their meate giuen them in vessels of siluer and golde, there is
one blacke Eliphant the greatest that hath bene seene, and is kept
according to his bignesse, he is nine cubites high, which is a marueilous
thing. [Sidenote: A warlike policie.] It is reported that this king hath
foure thousand Eliphantes of warre, and all haue their teeth, and they vse
to put on their two vppermost teeth sharpe spikes of yron, and make them
fast with rings, because these beastes fight, and make battell with their
teeth; hee hath also very many yong Eliphants that haue not their teeth
sprowted foorth: also this king hath a braue deuise in hunting to take
these Eliphantes when hee will, two miles from the Citie. [Sidenote: An
excellent deuise to hunt, and take wilde Elephants.] He hath builded a
faire pallace all guilded, and within it a faire Court, and within it and
rounde about there are made an infinite number of places for men to stande
to see this hunting: neere vnto this Pallace is a mighty great wood,
through the which the hunts-men of the king ride continually on the backs
of the feminine Eliphants, teaching them in this businesse. Euery hunter
carieth out with him fiue or sixe of these feminines, and they say that
they anoynt the secret places with a certaine composition that they haue,
that when the wilde Eliphant doeth smell thereunto, they followe the
feminines and cannot leaue them: when the hunts-men haue made prouision and
the Eliphant is so entangled, they guide the feminines towards the Pallace
which is called Tambell, and this Pallace hath a doore which doth open and
shut with engines, before which doore there is a long streight way with
trees on both the sides, which couereth the way in such wise as it is like
darkenesse in a corner: the wilde Eliphant when he commeth to this way,
thinketh that he is in the woods. At end of this darke way there is a great
field, when the hunters haue gotten this praye, when they first come to
this field, they send presently to giue knowledge thereof to the Citie, and
with all speed there go out fiftie or sixtie men on horsebacke, and doe
beset the fielde rounde about: in the great fielde then the females which
are taught in this businesse goe directly to the mouth of the darke way,
and when as the wilde Eliphant is entred in there, the hunters sho