ute and
make a great noyse, as much as is possible, to make the wilde Eliphant
enter in at the gate of that Pallace, which is then open, and as soone as
he is in, the gate is shut without any noyse, and so the hunters with the
female Eliphants and the wilde one are all in the Court together, and then
within a small time the females withdraw themselues away one by one out of
the Court, leauing the wilde Eliphant alone: [Sidenote: An excellent
pastime of the Eliphants.] and when he perceiueth that he is left alone, he
is so madde that for two or three houres to see him, it is the greatest
pleasure in the world: he weepeth, hee flingeth, hee runneth, he iustleth,
hee thrusteth vnder the places where the people stand to see him, thinking
to kil some of them, but the posts and timber is so strong and great, that
hee cannot hurt any body, yet hee oftentimes breaketh his teeth in the
grates; at length when hee is weary and hath laboured his body that hee is
all wet with sweat, then hee plucketh in his truncke into his mouth, and
then hee throweth out so much water out of his belly, that he sprinckleth
it ouer the heades of the lookers on, to the vttermost of them, although it
bee very high: and then when they see him very weary, there goe certaine
officers into the Court with long sharpe canes [Marginal note: These canes
are like to them in Spain which they call Ioco de tore.] in their hands,
and prick him that they make him to goe into one of the houses that is made
alongst the Court for the same purpose: as there are many which are made
long and narrow, and when the Eliphant is in, he cannot turne himself to go
backe againe. And it is requisite that these men should be very wary and
swift, for although their canes be long, yet the Eliphant would kill them
if they were not swift to saue themselues: at length when they haue gotten
him into one of those houses, they stand ouer him in a loft and get ropes
vnder his belly and about his necke, and about his legges, and binde him
fast, and so let him stand foure or fiue dayes, and giue him neither meate
nor drinke. At the ende of these foure or fiue dayes, they vnloose him and
put one of the females vnto him, and giue him meate and drinke, and in
eight dayes he is become tame. In my. iudgement there is not a beast so
intellectiue as are these Eliphants, nor of more vnderstanding in al the
world: for he wil do all things that his keeper saith, so that he lacketh
nothing but humaine spe