November. But to give an idea (fays M. de Buffon) o f the fer- ¡vice this animal is capable of doing, it is fufficient to mention, that all the calks, facks, and packs which are fent from one place to another in the Indies, are conveyed by elephants; that they are capable of carrying burthens on their backs, necks, tuiks, and even in their mouths, by means of a rope, one end of which is given to them, and which they hold between their teeth; that being endued with as much intelligence as ilrength, they take care not to break nor do any damage to the parcels entrufted to their care; that they take them from off the beach into the boats without fullering thenr~to be wet, laying them down gently, and adjuiting them in their proper places; that when they have put them into the place where they were ordered, they try with their trunks, whether they Hand fafe or not; and i f a calk is in danger o f rolling, they will go and get itones o f their own accord to fet again!! it.” So that it is no wonder, that an animal o f fuch great •utility fells in India for nine, or ten, nay, even as high as thirty-fix thoufand livres (vid. 1. c. p. 43.) Thefe animals would be found particularly ferviceable in bringing timber from Houtniquas and Groot Vaders-bofch, and in traniport- ing goods between the C a p e and B a y - F a l s o ; efpecially as, according to B u f f o n , p. 42. they can with great eafe perform a journey of fifteen or twenty leagues a day, and twice as much if you puih them on. They make as much way in their walk as a horfe does in his ufual trot, and in running as a horfe does in a gallop, (1. c.) When in fome places they are difturbed by the hunters at the 3 Cape, Cape, and find no vt'oods there to ihelter them, they do not Hop before they get feveral days journey from the fpot where they were. As the elephants in this colony are now become more wary, withdrawing into Sitficamma and other woody trails o f country where they are difficult to get at, or far up the country on the north fide o f Vifcb- nvier and into Cafferland, people have lately been lefs inclined to hunting them than they were for feveral years back; efpecially as they are obliged to fell all the ivory to the company, which pays by the pound lefs by one half for the fmall tuiks than what it does for the large ones: for which reafon, the peafants frequently fmuggle the fmall tuiks to the Cape in their butter-tubs, with a view to get fomewhat better payment for them from the private merchants. Many years back, when the elephants were to be found near the Cape, nine or ten people (feveral of whom were living when I was there) particularly diftinguiffied themfelves by their fuccefs in ihooting thefe animals, though not without undergoing fome danger and hunger, and the greateft difficulties for many months together; after which, on the other hand, they would in an equal, or perhaps much ihorter period o f time, as freely and prodigally fpend what they had earned in thefe expeditions, which might be from an hundred to three hundred rixdollars a man The confequence of this was, that a confiderable number of elephants have been extirpated : neverthelefs, it is agreed on all hands, that this is a mere nothing in com- parifon of the number of thofe that efcape; as fometimes one fees them in flocks to the amount of feveral hundreds or even thoufands, though, perhaps, one is not able to ffioot XT '77S‘ November.
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