ith their broad feet, and throwing down their Coker-Nut Trees,
and oftentimes their Houses too, and they may not resist them. It
is thought this is done by the King to punish them that ly under his
displeasure; And if you ask what becomes of these Elephants at last;
sometimes after they have thus kept watch over them two or three Years,
and destroyed the Countrey in this manner, the King will send order
to carry them into the Woods, and let them go free. For he catcheth
them not for any use or benefit he hath by them, but onely for his
recreation and pastime.

[The understanding of Elephants. Their Nature.] As he is the greatest
in body, so in understanding also. For he will do any thing that
his Keeper bids him, which is possible for a Beast not having hands
to do. And as the Chingulayes report, they bear the greatest love
to their young of all irrational Creatures; for the Shees are alike
tender of any ones young ones as of their own: where there are many
She Elephants together, the young ones go and suck of any, as well
as of their Mothers; and if a young one be in distress and should
cry out, they will all in general run to the help and aid thereof;
and if they be going over a River, as here be some somewhat broad, and
the streams run very swift, they will all with their Trunks assist and
help to convey the young ones over. They take great delight to ly and
tumble in the water, and will swim excellently well. Their Teeth they
never shed. Neither will they ever breed tame ones with tame ones;
but to ease themselves of the trouble to bring them meat, they will
ty their two fore-feet together, and put them into the Woods, where
meeting with the wild ones, they conceive and go one Year with young.

[The damage they do.] It is their constant practice to shove down
with their heads great Trees, which they love to eat, when they be
too high, and they cannot otherwise reach the boughs. Wild ones will
run much faster than a man, but tame ones not. The People stand in
fear of them, and oftentimes are kill'd by them. They do them also
great dammage in their Grounds, by Night coming into their Fields and
eating up their Corn and likewise their Coker-nut-Trees, &c. So that
in Towns near unto the Woods, where are plenty of them, the people
are forced to watch their Corn all Night, and also their Outyards and
Plantations; into which being once entred with eating and trampling
they will do much harm, before they can get them out.