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An invitation from Mr. Sanderson, Super- intendent of Elephant Kheddah, to spend a short time with him during the elephant hunting season, has recently enabled me to indulge a long cherished wish to see the method of working the well known Khed- dah, and an account of my visit to the'Geu-o Hills may be of some general interest. Be- fore relating how elephants are captured, I may state that the Khoddah, or elephant catching establishment, is a branch of the Commissariat Department of the Govern- ment of India. The object of the Kheddah is the capturing and training for service of the elephants required for military purposes. The depot or headquarters of the Kheddeh is at Dakka, which from its vicinity to the hunting grounds, and to abundant fodder supply, is a peculiarly suitable place for the purpose. The superintendent of Kheddah has at his disposal two Commissariat ser» geants, a large staff of native hunters and from 150 to 2 0 trained elephants. The hunt- ing operations are carried on only during the months of December, January and Febru~ ary, when the jungles are comparatively healthy and there is little or no rain to in- terfere with the work. By March the grass in the forests has become so dry that the use of fire, which is largely employed in the o erafions, might result in disastrous con- agrations. The water supply of the coun- _ Lu- 1......» _â€"D.,.-._, try also becomes contracted, while large flies and other insect pests spring into life, making the wild elephants restless and um certain in their movements. A little later, when the rains commence the forests be- come pestilential, hence the necessity for closing hunting season before the middle of March. The first move in the hunting season is to send the tame elephants to a. base camp close to the forest selected for hunting. Each has two attendants and car- ries its share of the tents, ropes, tools, etc., required in hunting. Meanwhile about 700 hunters trained to the work are collected, generally in Chittagong, where the craft chiefly flourishes. These are marched to the rendezvous, where the tame elephants and stores have been already collected. Muskets and tools are here distributed and after certain religious ceremonies, of a curi- ous kind, the hunters enter the forest. 9 “wt Ahunting party usually consists of 3.30 men. Some of these acting as trackers, go in advance to examine the country and to mash down the herds. A herd having been found the hunters proceed with great cir- cumspection and are led by the trackers to within a mile or so of the elephants’ posi- tion, when the men divide into two parties, and running rapidly in Indian file under the leadership of the trackers, one party to the right, the other to the left and dropping a. man at evey 30 or 40 yards as they go, they seek to fetch a. circuit round the elephants and to meet on the far side of them. If this movement, the execution of which de- mands much skill and experience, be pro. perly executed, the elephants will be sur- rounded by men in sting of six or seven miles in circumference. Each man, so posted lights a fire at'his strtior, connects his position with those of his neighbors by clearing a pathway, and takes every pre- caution to prevent the elephants breaking through his portion of the surround. Mus- keteers are stationed wherever the elephants show a disposition to break through the circle of guards and special men go round the circle every quarter of an hour, both day and night, to see that every one is on the alert. Mr. Sanderson and the sergeants make the unexpected night circuits. The surround is rarely broken through. If the elephants approach the men they are driven back by shots, shouts and fire brands. The elephants usually give trouble on the first and second nights only ; after that, if the surround has been well chosen, and there be in it plenty of fodder and water, they rarely make any decided attempts to break out. Moreover, they are generally active only between sunset and 11 at night, and again from ‘2 a.m. until daylight, so that during the dsytime the hunters are able by turns to take some rest. Within the surround, and on one of the elephants' chief runs, a. stockede composed of stout timbers is now commenced. This inclosure is circular in form, and is rarely more than 25 yds. in diameter, that. area. being found sufficient to admit 60 or 80 ele- phants. It consists of a ring of posts sunk deep into the ground and well supported by transverse timbers, and backed up by forked props securely lashed with ropes, canvas, or tough creepers. This palisade is 10ft. high. Over the entrance, which is 12ft, wide, is hung a massive log gate, which is dropped and secured directly the herd has been driven in. On each side of the gate. way for about 100 yds. a timber barricade is carried, forming a. funnel-shaped approach. Across the mouth of this V‘shaped pas. sage (generally a. width of 60 or 70 yds. or so) is arranged a line of dry grass and com. bustible jungle material. When the herd has crossed this line. and thus ~not well between the guiding barricades, it is fired behind them. Simultaneously with the sudden blaze so produced, the hunters, who have patient- ly and skilfully worked the elephants along to this critical point, close in and rush shouting after the started herd. Mr. San- derson, who up to this stage of the proceed~ ings has probably been perched high in some commanding tree, to direct the movements of the hunters, who from their inability to see each other are best directed from some central point, now rapidly descends and takes his place with the hurrying line of hunters. His presence and formidably heavy rifles impart confidence to the men, who, giving the alarmed elephants no time I stand aloneâ€"all 31')an the shore Of a vast and boundless sen, And I watch the ship recede from my sight That beareth my love from me. I list to the aoh of the restless wavesâ€" 1 hark to the breakers‘ roar ; And a nameless voice sings low to HIV heart “ Thy love thou shalt see no more I” O cease, sad waves ! from thy u elews grief Cease. breakers! thy dash and roar; Ye break mv heart as ye carry me back To the cld sweet trust of yore '. When I roamed the sands o! the pebbly bench With my lover's hand in mine, While we watched the white gul.'s circling flig Or the moon o'ex the waters shine ! Thou stormâ€"king, spare the {mi} bark of my love Ah! W As it sails thcuiroicherous main ; Bid me winds lie buihrd, l he a child asleep, T11] he nmkts the haven: again I 01the cruel Inoclfing sen; As I watched in vain for the vanished one Who’ll never come back to me ! â€"Kms KYLE in Detroit Fta BLI‘PHANT HUNTING IN INDIA. for the tobbingâ€"the 'plainingâ€"the fretting Ox THE SHORE flight for reflection, rush them along the narrow- ing approach to the gate. This is the point where the greatest danger occurs, as, if the elephants’ fears are aroused by anything ahead, they often turn in a. body and break back, when fatal accidents are likely to happen. I saw a char 6 of this kind which was, however, checke' by Mr. Sunderson's dropping the leading elephantâ€"an old fe- maleâ€"dead, and the men showed eucb pluck and determination when the elephants were thus thrown into confusion that they turn- ed, and were soon in the Stockade. Gener- ally, in a. few minutes after the lighting of the fire line, the huge beasts have crushed through the jungle into the ntockade, when down comes the ponderous gate, and the bewildered monsters are impounded. I UUWALuvtwu lllvnnuvvnu w.“ ..._r . But this outline conveys no adequate idea, of the skill exhibited in selecting the ground, of the organization and discipline requis- its to insure a. sustained performance of tedious and dangerous dut} by hundred! of men, any one 0: Whom might, by disobed- ience, carelessness or cowardice, Imperil the success of the Whole undertaking, like the snapping of :1. single link in a chain ; or of the intrepidity displayed in theuiiany dangerous situations often occurring 1n the undertaking. During the erection ofihe stocks.th within the surround, a lhburlom pie:e of work that occupies about three. days, no one would suspect that several bur:~ dred men were at work. No voice is heard above a whisper. Few orders are necessary, every gang of men being divided and in divided, and all so drilled that each knows his work and does it. Occasionally a. soft whistle and a. rapid gesture are used to oou‘ vey instructions to a distant workman. Everything is done rapidly and silently” Then the pluck of the men in driving thel elephants is very conspicuous. They have the confidence in the determination andshill j of their leader which insures success, and it is a. fine sight to see them following Mr. Sanderson, or skirmishing with the ele- phants while under the protection of his heavy rifles in a manner that seems perfect- ly reckless. 0n the day after a herd has been im‘ pounded there folloWs the less exciting but even more deeply interesting business of seâ€" curing each individual elephant. The gale of the stnckade is raised under cover of guns, ‘and men mounted on tome elephants ride linto the inclosure. The wild ones general- lly huddle together, and watch this fresh manoeuver with apprehension, or some of them charge down among the tame ones. When the gate has been closed and made fast, the work of securing the wild one: he gins. The position of the tame elephuts’ mahouts looks very dangerous; but al~ though the wild elephants occasionally bat- tle with the tame, they never attack the riders. The work is, however, sufficiently perilous. I saw a. tame elephant receive, unexpectedly, a charge from a powerful will one that made her stagger, and, the ground being slippery, she fell on her side. The mahout must have had a perplexing View of gigantic legs all around him, but being cool and experienced he quickly got under one of the tame elephants of the party, and thence was helped out of danger by ready hands. .1... “The tame ones are all experienced fighters, and when some captives show a disposition to be mischievous, one or more are set on to give it a pounding, ano. inculcate respect. When three or four tame elephants have wedged a Wild one in among them, an ac- tive fellow slips down and ties its hindlegs together, afterward making them fast to the Stockade, or two trees growing in the in- closure. or to strong posts previously plant- ed ior the purpose. A large, soft cable is then got uuni its neck. When all have been tied in the manner described, the gate is reopened and they are led to water and picketed in the forest near. When sepa rated thus and first left to themselves and the tame elephants, their struggles are vio- lent end protracted, and I saw many tall trees shaken to their topmast branches an- der the strain put on them. Every branch within reach is wrencbed ofl"; the bark is often stripped from the trunks, while the tuskers drive their long white ivories into the ground and plough every Equare foot within reach. The calves usually keep up an incessant roaring, as their mothers often temporarily lose their supply of milk from their agitation and struggles against coercion. In a surprisingly short time, however, all get accustomed to the presence of their at- tendants, and in the course of a few days they are marched down to the low country in tow of their tame friends. They are then put into systematic training. Within tvro months they can generally be ridden alone. Several of the elephants employed in carrying baggage, and one of Mr. Sander- son’s special riding elephants, this season, were pointed out to me as having been cap- tured last year. They were now working in the very forests where they were themselves wild ten months before. Occasionally an escaped elephant is re- captured after it has enjoyed a prolonged holiday of a few years in the forest. Among the last herd that I saw caught was such a one, a female, followed by a big calf about five years old. She bore on her neck and legs the usual rope marks, and exhibited other signs of having been in service some time or other. Judging from the age of her calf she must have been at liberty not less than seven or eight years, but when pressed on the neck with a spear and ordered to kneel down she obeyed at once. This speaks much more for the docility of the elephant than for its intelligence, which lat- ter quality Mr. Sanderson considers it markedly wanting in. popular impressions notwithstanding. She was promptly mounted by a bold mahout, and two or three days afterward I saw her picking up ropes with her trunk, passing them to her mahout, helping to tie and tow away some of her fellowcaptives, and behaving as though she had been on continuous duty in the kheddahs all her life. Her calf was, of course, an uneducated young savage. “ Directly a. “ caltch ’v’ hasubeen concluded the trackers go off to find and mark down another herd. When “ kubber ” arrives that another herd has been found, perhaps ten or fifteen miles away, ofl' go Dr. San- derson and his men to the new ground, While a sergeant or a. native jemadnr remains in charge of the last captures and marches them down to 'the‘ open country. Again follow the, snrounding and guarding of more elephants, and selecting the site of the stockade and building it ; the wary work- ing up of the unsuspecting animals, which develops into the maddening final rush with a. blazing fireline and sudden uproar ending in another catch. It is very worthy of re- mark that the operations rarely fail to end successfully. The certainty with which this may be counted on is clearly indicative of excellence in all the arrangements to the smallest details. There appears to be no such thing as building a stockade and fail. ing to gen elephants into it. Unquestion- ably it is lard work, the very hardest work, both for name elephants and men, yea the former are in excellent hard condition, and among the latter the proportions of sick- ness and accident has been greatly reduced of late years. The elephants are, of course, fed solely on grass fodder, as Mr. Sanderson is a well known advocate for the abolition of grain, and they are a. living proof o£i_ the accuracy of his views on the sul ject. on the surround at night, and the oiher during driving ; and Sergeant \Vatson, a a steady, soldier-like young fellow, succumb- ed in a. few hours to jungle fever. This was also the fate of Mr. Nulhall and Cap- tain Hood, Mr. Sunderson's immediate pre- decessors, and I should think a life insur- uuce company would hesitate about: accept- ing Mr. Senaerson’s life on the ordinary, or any terms, especially if aware of the head- long manner of his coming flown 40ft. of ricketty bamboo ladder from a. mac-hen, and bearing along close behind the herd that, having crossed the fatal fire line, has to be “ rushed ” into the stocknde 1 Regarding the belief that; wild elephants are decreasing in India, and many other mutteis concerning these interesting pacliy- derms, Mr. Sanderson gave me much inter- esting information in our chats hy the camp‘ In elephant hunting the risk to life, and of course to limb and health, is generally very considerable. \Vhile I was with the vamp two men were killed, one at his post fire. U'l‘he impression adverth to above probably originated in the fact of laws hav- ing been made in recent years for their pro‘ tecticn, and from their disappearance from certain small and isolated localities before the advance of cultivation. But Mr. Sand- erson says there is good graund for believ- ing that wild elephants are now at least as numerous as they have ever been within historic times, and that there is every res.- son why this should be the case. They are not now liable to be shot for their ivory or for sport, nor to be caught by the cruel and wasteiul methods of taking them in salt licks and pitfalls, from which not more than 20 per cent. were taken alive, while their haunts are preserved to a great extent from jungle fires and from inirusion by the regu- lations of the Forest Department. Some idea. of the numbers of wild elephants in certain tracts may be gained from the fact that. during the eight years ending March, 1885, the Kheddah Department captured 1,288 wild elephants in a. portion of the Garo Hills, some 50 miles by 20, and this is only a. small percentage of the large tracts of elephant country equally well stocked. Under present regulations there is no danger of the Asiatic Wild elephant becoming even scarce, much less extinct. l was also surprised to learn that the demand for elephants is so censiderahle. Though good roads and railways have great- ly facilitated communicafion in India, and though Government has largely reduced the number of elephants it formerly maintained for military and civil purposes, the animal is still as great a favorite as ever among the natives, and instead of it being, as formerly, almost exclusively a possession of royalty, it is now found extensively among small landed proprietors in Bengal and else. where ; men who, before the peaceful times of British rule, would not have Ventured on such a show of wealth even had they pos- sessed it. *Since raised to the extraordinary total of 402.â€"Fo7'est and Stream. Thefirst record of a judge's salgry gives £138 133 4d as the stipend of Thomas Littleton, judge of the King’s bench, 1466. When I left Mr. Sanderson he had cap- tured the large number of 920' elephants, and he contemplated further operations against them, as the season had not far ad- vanced. A bulletin of the United States Fish Com- mission, just issued, gives the following ac- count, as described in a letter to Prof. Baird, of the killing of a man by a sword fish : “ The schooner Venus is a small ves- sel of about twelve tons, engaged in the general fisheries off the coasts of Massa- chusetts. On Monday morning Capt. Lang- ford sailed from home in pursuit of sword fish. About 11 a. 111,, when eight miles northeast from Halibut Toint, in Ipswich Bay, a fish was seen. The Captain, with one man, takings. dory, gave chase and soon harpooned the fish, throwing over a buoy with a. line attached to the harpoon, after which the fish was left and they re» turned to the vessel for dinner. AbOJt an hour later the Captain, with one man, again took his dory and went out to secure the fish. Picking the up buoy, Capt. Lan£~ ford took hold of the line, pulling his boat toward the sword fish, which was quite large and not badly wounded. The line was taut as the boat slowly neared the fish, which the Captain intended o lance and thus kill it. When near the fish, but too far away to reach it with alance, it quickly turned and rushed at and under the boat, thrusting its sword up through the bottom of the boat twentyâ€"three inches. As the fish turned and rushed toward the boat the line was suddenly slacked, causing the cap. tain to fall over on his back, and while he was in the act of rising, the sword came piercing through the boat and into his body. At this time another sword fish was in sight near by, and the captain, excited and anxious to secure both, raised himself up, not knowing that he was wounded. Seeing the sword, he seized it, exclaiming: ‘We‘ve got him anyway !' He lay in the bottom of the dory, holding fast to the sword until his vessel came alongside, while the fish, being under the boat, could not be reached. Soon the captain said: ‘I thinkI am hurt, and quite badly.’ \Vhen the vessel arrived he went on board, took a few steps and fell, never rising again. The boat and ‘ish were soon hoisted on board, when the sword was chopped off to free the boat, and the fish was killed on the deck of the vessel. The fish weighed 2:15 pounds after its head and tail were cut 03‘ and the visoera removed; when alive it weighed something over 3‘00 pounds. Capt. Langford survived the injury about three days, dying on Thursday. ' The swurd has been deposited in the United States Nation- al Museum.” ' If Old Sol waits to count "éight hours a. day’s Work for the remainder (if the season We are agreed. Ofttimes the blackness {vhiqh we believe we see in others is 'only our‘oyh shadow. Killed by a Sword Fish. The Color Line in Georgia. The discussion over the Glenn Bill in the Georgia. legislature still goes on, and grows in [icrceness as it goes. Whether the bill can become law will very much depend upon the amount of grace and common seine still left among the Georgia. law makers. It they are a set of infatuated fools, the men.- sure will be carried. If not, it will be shelved in some way or other. The color madntss in still stron‘,r in some quarters, and perhaps, in order to a permanent and ell'eei- unl cure, it \\ ill have to run its course and do its victims a. good deal of damage. So be it. Just listen to the way in which this infatuated fool Glenn talks, and bear in mind that he was cheered to the echo for doing so. “ The color line shall never be wiped out. I have no apology to make for the rennsnk. There is no danger to the ne- gro as long as he follows the rules of the old colored people of the long gone-by days. But there in great danger of his life when he forces himself up for recognition. What care we for the indignation of the North or even of the world? Why, we do not care for the opinion of the North. 11 In these days of outcry against the great disparities of social condition is there not something sensible in the following remarks : -â€"“It is plain upon a. moment’s reflection that poverty and wealth are only relative terms. like best and cold. If there were no diflerence in the command we have over the material comfortsof life, there would be no poverty and no wealth. As we go down in the scale of civilization we find the con- trast less and less. So, on the contrary, as we go up in civilization, we find the con- trast greater. There is every reason to suppose that this distinction will become more and more marked at every step of ad- vance. At every step of civilization the re- wards of right living and the penalties of wrong living both become far heavier. Every chance for accomplishing something better brings with it a chance of equivalent loss by neglect or incapacity. An American Indian who had a. bow and arrow was far superior . in wealth to one who was destitute those things, but one who has a. breeclixlofidiné. rifle is separated from one who has not, by a. far wider interval. The men among whom there is the least so- cial problem are those who are in the lowest steps of barbarism, among whom. no one has such superiority ovegthe others in his eman- cipation from misery, as to make them by contrast feel the stress 0f their situation.” The man'viiho‘hzis the riflevwill likely get the lion share» ofithe game, but is that a. rea- son for forcing all to keep to bows and ar- rows? Abolish poverty by all means, but how is this formidable work to be set about? Can it be managed, and yet leave human ignorance, \‘ice, improvidence and handlessness where they were and now are ? The destruction of the poor is their poverty. The great question and problem is how to get quit of it. Civilization and Society Position Is there not something true to nature every where in the followrug extra :t from a. letter seut to a London newspaper :â€" In your article on overwork and under- pay you say “ if ladies were to seek to con- vince servants practically thst household work need not mean bondage, &c., they would not shrink from domestic service be- cause of its restraints.” Herein lies the dif- ficulty; we must educate the mistress to treat the servant as a. being with like feel- ings to her mm, and the dearth of appli- cants for domestic service will not be so un- iversal as it now is. In the majority of cases mistresses can only Mind to employ one servant ; they cannot, or will not. asso- ciate With her. The kitchen is her sitting- room, the most remote room in the house is her bedroom. From six in the morning till nine at night. later or earlier, are her hours of Work, and in all that time she speaks when she is spoken to. when there are orders for her,â€"-just as convicts are allowed to in a penitentary. Followers are discouraged, and so she gladly gossips with the jolly butcher or the grocer’s boy. ‘Vhat wonder if, when she does go out to see her mother, she stays later than the prescribed hour? Tlle Servant Girl Question. Is there not; something true to 113.1 every where in the followmg extra :t fro letter sent: 1:0 a London newspaper :â€" In your article on overwork and um pay you say “if ladies were to seek to < Vince servants practically than; housel: work need not: mean bondage, &c., 13 would not shrink from domestic service cause of its restraints.” Herein hes the fiuulby; we must educate the mistress treat the servant as a. being with like f butcher or the grocer’s boy. W hat wonder if, when she does go out to see her mother, she stays later than the prescribed hour? She sits down three times a day, and eats her meals in solitude. The imn who works at the lOWest. occupation has the company of his own class, and rats his dinner with his fellow laborers. The rag-picker meets his brother rag picker every day, and the pleasure of SOLiztl intercourse is not denied him. What wonder, then, if Mary Jane flirts; with the policeman, or stipulates for company and evenings out. The canker of solitude and yearning for sympathy with and from her felloWs is in her heart, and until mistresses learn how to treat her prop- erly, domestic service to the great majority of girls will be the last resort of a. despariug heart. There. may be sgoml deal sometimes in the conduct of seven: girls that is blsmeworthy. They may be awkward, ignorant, careless, and what not, but is there not another side to the picture as well? Are mistresses 211- Ways doing their duty in the premises? It is to he feared they are not. No more here There. may be agoml deal sometimes in the conduct of seven: girls that is blameworthy. They may be awkward, ignorant, careless, and what not, but is there not another side to the picture as well? Are mistresses a1- Waya doing their duty in the premises? It is to be feared they are not. No more here in Canada, than amid the old civilization of the old land. The scarcity of household helps may be deplored. If it lead to more reasonable treatment in some cases, and to greater personal activity on the part of the mistresses and idle young misses in others, it will le well. must be too high and the right thing would be to reduce it all round. It need not be said that the Press would suffer most from such an innovation, for the Press would not suffer at all. Indeed it would rather be a. gainer than otherwise. For every ticket that was ever issued to newspaper men, the railways have received double the value in the shape of gratis advertising and of very vigorous pufl's. To get a. ten dollar pass and at the same time give a fifty dol- lar advertisement does not appear to be a. very profitable system of doing business, yet such has been about the way that the com-- plimentary railWay tickets have been wrought as far as the Press is concerned. By all means let it be stopped. If the railways can stand it, certainly there is no reason why the Press should not. “There are the trades and professions, each with its distinct code. There is a rail- road ethic, and there is a. tradesman’s ethic, and there is a. house-builder's ethic, and there is the newspaper ethic. . . . and men are all the time dropping down into these narrow schemes of morals, and esti- mating conduL-t, not by the eternal rule of right, God‘s will, but by some current; cus- tom, or miserable conventionalism, or low cvnning expediency. I say to a. man, ‘ Why «lo you adultemte these goods ? Why do you weave shoddy into these clothes? Why do you peg shoddy into these shoes? \Vhy stamp your flour with a. false brand, and put- a. lying label on the silk the hat and the coat you sell? ’ His answer is, ‘ They all do it; it is one of the tricks of the trade, and something of this sort has to be done to make a. living.’ ” Railroad Passes. Some time ago it was said to have been set- tled by all the railways in the States if not on the continent that there should be no more complimentary tickets issued on any pretence or to any individuals. All were to pay their way or forego the privilege and. pleasure of a. ride. The complimentary sys- tem, it was said, had been grievously abused and was besides in itself utterly indefen- sible. No commercial enterprise, it was ar- gued, could be successfully carried on on such principles. In short it was too bad for anything and was to cease and determine for ever. All this is very fine in theory and talk. In the meantime What does it amount to? Favoured ones still get passes and the number of free rides secured is neither in- significant nor occasional. It is a. pity that a good rule should be so speedily set aside, for it is a good rule to make every one pay for the accommodation he receives whetherin the shape of sugar or railway rides. Nobody expectsa. railway to carry freight for nothing. \Vhy expect to have a couple of hundred pounds in the shape of a. living man so carried? If railways can afford to carry so many dead heads, then the ordinary fare must be too high and the right thing would be to reduce it all round. It need not be said that the Press Would suffer most from \Vhat must such; preacher have been thinking of? Surely the dull, unbroken silence of the grave would have been a. thousand times better than such a. sermon on such an occasion, or any occasion whatever.