Killing elephants with swords

George Armstrong Custer · 6th May 2005, 03:57 PM

The Central-African-born novelist Wilbur Smith is justly renowned for the background research which lends historical accuracy to those of his novels set in historical periods. His new bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun is set during the 1884/5 siege of Khartoum in the Sudan by the Dervish forces of the Mahdi. At one point Smith describes an elephant hunt which is conducted by Emir Osman Atalan, en route to Khartoum from the Red Sea Hills. The modus operandi of the hunters is astonishing - and the descriptions of their weapons and their devotion to them is instructive:

'[Emir Osman] held the scabbard of his broadsword clamped under his right knee against the saddle. The hilt was exquisitely fashioned from rhinoceros horn with a patina like amber, and the blade was inlaid with gold and silver.......While the horses rested the aggagiers took down their swords and shields from where they were tied to the saddles. They sat in a small, companionable group in the sunlight, and began to strop their blades on the cured giraffe hide of their shields. The hide of the giraffe was the toughest of all wild game, yet not so heavy as that of the buffalo or hippopotamus. The shields were round targes, unadorned with image or emblem, marked only by the blade of the enemy, or the claw and fang of the chase. Blade-honing was a pastime with which they filled their leisure, as much a part of their life as breathing.......There was silence except for the susurration of steel on leather. They paused in this endless activity only to test an edge with a thumb. Each blade was about three and a half feet in length, and double-edged. It was a replica of the broadswords of the crusaders that, centuries before, had so impressed the Saracens before the walls of Acre and Jerusalem. The most treasured blades had been forged from the steel of Solingen, and handed down from father to son. The marvellous temper of this metal imparted immense power to the blade, and it was capable of taking an edge like that of a surgeon's scalpel - the lightest stroke would split hide and hair, flesh and sinew to the deepest bone. A full stroke could divide an enemy at the waist, cutting him in two as effortlessly as though he were a ripe pomegranate. The scabbards were fashioned from two flat pieces of soft mimosa wood, held together and covered by the skin of an elephant's ear, dried hard and strong as iron. On the flat of the scabbard were two raised leather projections about twelve inches apart, which held the weapon securely under the horseman's thigh. Even at full gallop, it would not flap and bounce in the ungainly manner of the swords of European cavalry...........'

The hunters later discover three bull elephants, and how these are felled is awesome:

'Osman dared not approach closer whilst he was mounted. He slipped from the saddle and girded up the hem of his jibba with the blue sash, leaving his legs covered only with baggy breeches. He tightened the straps of his sandals, then drew his broadsword. Instinctively he tried the edge and sucked the drop of blood that welled from the ball of his thumb.........The bull seemed as majestic as a three-decked man-o'-war. It seemed impossible that such a mighty beast could fall to the puny blade. Osman stepped lithely and lightly with the grace of a dancer, carrying the sword in his right hand. However, he had bound the first hand's breadth of the blade above the cruciform crosspiece of the hilt with a strip of skin from the ear of a freshly killed elephant: now that this had dried and cured it formed a double grip for his left hand..........Osman changed his grip, two-handed now for the fatal stroke, and moved down the bull's flank close enough to touch him with the point of the sword.........His aggagiers watched him with awe and admiration. A lesser warrior would have chosen to hamstring his quarry, approaching the unsuspecting beast from behind and, with swift double strokes, severing the main tendons and arteries in the back of the legs above the huge, splayed feet. That injury would allow the hunter to escape, but cripple and anchor the bull until the severed arteries had drained the life from him, a slow death that might take up to an hour. However, to attempt the head-on approach as the emir was doing, increased the danger a hundredfold. Osman was now well within the arc of the trunk, which was capable of delivering a blow that would shatter every bone in his body. The huge ears picked up the smallest sound, even a carefully controlled breath, and at such close quarters the rheumy little eyes could detect the slightest movement..............The dangling trunk was also shielded by the thick yellow tusks. Osman had to entice the bull into extending it towards him. Any untoward movement, any incongruous sound would trigger a devastating response. He would be clubbed down by a blow from the trunk, or trampled under the pads of those great feet, or transfixed by an ivory tusk, then knelt upon and ground to bloody paste under the bulging bone of the bull's forehead.........Osman twisted the blade gently between his fists and, with the polished metal, picked up one of the stray sunbeams that pierced the canopy above his head. He played the reflected sunbeam onto the bull's gently flapping ear, then directed it forward gradually until it shot a tiny diamond wedge of light into the bull's half-closed eye. The elephant opened his eye fully and it glittered as he sought out the source of this mild annoyance. He detected no movement other than the trembling spot of sunlight, and reached out his trunk towards it, not alarmed but mildly curious.........There was no need for Osman to adjust his double grip on the hilt. The blade described a glittering sweep in the air, fast as the stoop of the hunting peregrine. There was no bone in the trunk to turn the blow so the silver blade sliced cleanly through it and half dropped to the ground........The elephant reeled back from the shock and agony. Osman jumped back at the same instant and the bull spotted the movement and tried to lash out at it. But his trunk lay on the earth, and as the stump swung in an arc towards Osman, the blood hosed from the open arteries and sprayed in a crimson jet that soaked his jibba. Then the bull lifted the stump of his amputated trunk and trumpeted in mortal anguish, his blood spraying back over his head and into his eyes. He charged into the forest, shattering the trees and thornbushes that blocked his path. Startled from the brink of sleep by his trumpeting screams, the other bulls fled with him.............'

The story continues with the hunters riding down the other two bull elephants, and, leaping from their horses, despatching one by the same method of trunk amputation, and the second by the slower method of slashing with swords the arteries and tendons in the rear legs. By the time this last elephant is brought down, the two whose trunks had been slashed off had bled to death - the blood pumped out of the arteries in the trunk stump at a great rate as the distraught animals charged through the bush. Two of the hunters are killed in the process. I hope these brief extracts might whet your appetite to read the whole book. Its worth it for the whole story of the hunting of the bull elephants by sword alone. It's also the best fictionalised account I've read of the events in the Sudan in 1884/5 which culminated in the fall of Khartoum and the death of General Charlton Heston (oops! I mean General Charles Gordon, of course!)

Ciao,
GAC

BluErf · 7th May 2005, 01:12 AM

Brave and skilled as the hunters were, I can't help but feel sorry for the elephants. A magnificent beast, as they described, felled for the vainity of man, not for food or clothing...

Rick · 7th May 2005, 01:43 AM

Agreed Blu , honestly I was sickened at the thought of severing an Elephant's trunk .
Times were different then , but an Elephant's trunk is .... such a wonderful thing , a miracle of nature .

Jim McDougall · 7th May 2005, 03:05 AM

"Natures great masterpiece, an elephant...."
-John Donne, "Progress of the Soul" XXXIX

While this narrative is an outstanding view of the times in the Sudan in these fascinating times, and it is amazing to hear the terrific descriptions of the weapons and tribesmen engaged in high adventure, I echo the the feelings expressed by Blu and Rick. I have always very much loved animals, but never fully appreciated what can only be described as the 'humanity' of these magnificent beings until I read "Sacred Elephant" (Heathcote Williams, N.Y.1989).

Although very impressed by this outstanding presentation from George, I cannot help feeling very saddened by the reality so graphically visualized.
Perhaps there is a lot to be said for romanticism without extreme detail.

Jim

Jeff D · 7th May 2005, 06:07 AM

Hi All,

Although Wilbur tends to exagerate most details I think he is not far from the truth on how elephants were hunted with kaskaras. Check this site that has come up before, near the end. http://www.worldwideschool.org/libra...nia/chap8.html

"The elephant-hunters, or aggageers, exhibited their swords, which differed in no respect from those usually worn; but they were bound with cord very closely from the guard for about nine inches along the blade, to enable them to be grasped by the right hand, while the hilt was held by the left; the weapon was thus converted into a two-handed sword. The scabbards were strengthened by an extra covering, formed of the skin of the elephant's ear.

In a long conversation with these men, I found a corroboration of all that I had previously heard of their exploits, and they described the various methods of killing the elephant with the sword. Those hunters who could not afford to purchase horses hunted on foot, in parties not exceeding two persons. Their method was to follow the tracks of an elephant, so as to arrive at their game between the hours of 10 A.M. and noon, at which time the animal is either asleep, or extremely listless, and easy to approach. Should they discover the animal asleep, one of the hunters would creep stealthily towards the head, and with one blow sever the trunk while stretched upon the ground; in which case the elephant would start upon his feet, while the hunters escaped in the confusion of the moment. The trunk severed would cause an haemorrhage sufficient to insure the death of the elephant within about an hour. On time other hand, should the animal be awake upon their arrival, it would be impossible to approach the trunk; in such a case, they would creep up from behind, and give a tremendous cut at the back sinew of the hind leg, about a foot above the heel. Such a blow would disable the elephant at once, and would render comparatively easy a second cut to the remaining leg; the arteries being divided, the animal would quickly bleed to death. These were the methods adopted by poor hunters, until, by the sale of ivory, they could purchase horses for the higher branch of the art. Provided with horses, the party of hunters should not exceed four. They start before daybreak, and ride slowly throughout the country in search of elephants, generally keeping along the course of a river until they come upon the tracks where a herd or a single elephant may have drunk during the night. When once upon the tracks, they follow fast towards the retreating game. The elephants may be twenty miles distant; but it matters little to the aggageers. At length they discover them, and the hunt begins. The first step is to single out the bull with the largest tusks; this is the commencement of the fight. After a short hunt, the elephant turns upon his pursuers, who scatter and fly from his headlong charge until he gives up the pursuit; he at length turns to bay when again pressed by the hunters. It is the duty of one man in particular to ride up close to the head of the elephant, and thus to absorb its attention upon himself. This insures a desperate charge. The greatest coolness and dexterity are then required by the hunter, who now, the HUNTED, must so adapt the speed of his horse to the pace of the elephant, that the enraged beast gains in the race until it almost reaches the tail of the horse. In this manner the race continues. In the meantime, two hunters gallop up behind the elephant, unseen by the animal, whose attention is completely directed to the horse almost within his grasp. With extreme agility, when close to the heels of the elephant, one of the hunters, while at full speed, springs to the ground with his drawn sword, as his companion seizes the bridle, and with one dexterous two-handed blow he severs the back sinew. He immediately jumps out of the way and remounts his horse; but if the blow is successful, the elephant becomes disabled by the first pressure of its foot upon the ground; the enormous weight of the animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered helpless. The hunter who has hitherto led the elephant immediately turns, and riding to within a few feet of the trunk, he induces the animal to attempt another charge. This, clumsily made, affords an easy opportunity for the aggageers behind to slash the sinew of the remaining leg, and the immense brute is reduced to a standstill; it dies of loss of blood in a short time, THUS POSITIVELY KILLED BY ONE MAN WITH TWO STROKES OF THE SWORD!

This extraordinary hunting is attended with superlative danger, and the hunters frequently fall victims to their intrepidity. I felt inclined to take off my cap and make a low bow to the gallant and swarthy fellows who sat before me, when I knew the toughness of their hearts and the activity of their limbs. One of them was disabled for life by a cut from his own sword, that had severed the knee-cap and bitten deep into the joint, leaving a scar that appeared as though the leg had been nearly off; he had missed his blow at the elephant, owing to the high and tough dried grass that had partially stopped the sword, and in springing upon one side, to avoid the animal that had turned upon him, he fell over his own sharp blade, which cut through the bone, and he lay helpless; he was saved by one of his comrades, who immediately rushed in from behind, and with a desperate cut severed the back sinew of the elephant. As I listened to these fine fellows, who in a modest and unassuming manner recounted their adventures as matters of course, I felt exceedingly small. My whole life had been passed in wild sports from early manhood, and I had imagined that I understood as much as most people of this subject; but here were men who, without the aid of the best rifles and deadly projectiles, went straight at their game, and faced the lion in his den with shield and sabre. There is a freemasonry among hunters, and my heart was drawn towards these aggageers. We fraternised upon the spot, and I looked forward with intense pleasure to the day when we might become allies in action."

Although I am not a hunter, and in fact both my parents were veterinarians, I do find it interesting, the shock of most of the replies. There is a dead human on another thread and most of the comments are what the "gore" on his blade is, no shock. This isn't a chastisement but an interesting observation. I thought all aspects of these weapons should be freely discussed?

All the best.
Jeff

George Armstrong Custer · 7th May 2005, 11:43 AM

Like Jeff I find some of the responses to the usage of these kaskaras interesting. I'd point out firstly, though, that my intention when posting the extracts was certainly not to offend anyone's sensibilities.

It seems to me that an important part of the collecting and ownership of historic weapons ought to be an absolute awareness of the purpose for which they were first produced. It is, perhaps, easy to become so engrossed in the artistic, decorative and manufacturing processes surrounding these weapons, as well as their ethnic and cultural attributes, that one overlooks - or perhaps chooses not to dwell upon - the fact that they were made to be used. And in the vast majority of cases, that use was the killing of other human beings. In my humble opinion it is only by fully appreciating what these weapons were intended to be used for that one can fully understand the nuances of their technical design - that is, they each incorporate specific design features which were intended to enhance their ability to kill by various means. I would go further, and say that it is only by appreciating that these were state-of-the-art killing tools that one can begin to accord them the respect that is perhaps their due - anything else is to trivialise them as mere ornamental objects. By this process also, collectors can begin to understand the reverence with which so many societies imbued these weapons - the creators of these weapons, of course, understood better than anyone their deadly function as an arbiter between life and death, and as a consequence often saw in them an almost mystical quality. The detail of how the weapons in our collections inflicted death does not, of course, make pleasant reading. But I do believe that we lose some of our integrity as collectors and interpreters of the past if we 'conveniently' overlook these unpalatable details - the end purpose of a weapon should be aired and discussed as openly as the decoration applied to it.

As to the methodology of killing elephants with the kaskara, when I first read Smith's account I was myself taken aback at the shocking and mortal blow which was inflicted upon the most iconic part of an elephant's anatomy. As I said in my introduction to the piece, the modus operandi of these hunders was truly astonishing. But as I've tried to explain above, I do not believe that we, as collectors, should shrink from such graphic knowledge as to how the weapons in our collections were deployed by their original owners.

Bluerf condemns the slaughter of the elephants by these nomadic tribesmen as being merely for the 'vanity of man'. With the greatest of respect, I would beg to differ, and point out that the trade of ivory underpinned the fragile trading economies of these peoples. And there is also the fact that the hunders took on their prey on a one to one basis; they could - and many did - perish in the encounter rather than the elephant. In my personal view it is absolutely pointless to try to impose our 21st-century mores and ethics when trying to understand the way of life of past societies. To try to do so will inevitably distort and obscure a true understanding of their concept of honor and their understanding of the cycle of life and death.

Jeff's obsevation on the fact that human gore on a blade can be discussed with apparent equanimity, whilst the bloody slaughter of an elephant can raise declarations of abhorrence is indeed an interesting one, and no doubt a psychologist could give a better explanation of this than I. But it is a curious apparent paradox which I've noticed before. The most extreme example of this phenomenon was probably Hitler, who directed the extermination of millions of human beings without a qualm, and yet was a vegetarian who vocally condemned any cruelty to animals........

Finally, I'd be interested to hear comment on Smith's reiteration of the idea that the kaskara were decended from the swords of European knights in the Crusades. I know that the feature on the kaskara on this site supports the 'revisionist' view that there is little or no connection. But I always feel that so many hundreds of thousands of European warriors went to the Holy Land on Crusade, and so many of these Crusades ended in disaster for them, that there must have been a vast body of European weaponry left in the region. The arid atmosphere was, of course, conducive to their long term survival thereafter. I therefore tend to the idea that it is more likely than not that the form of the kaskaras owed something to the swords of the Crusaders - and also that it is likely to be more than a hoary Victorian myth that a few original European Crusading blades were being carried as cherished heirlooms into the colonial wars of the 19th-century, and used against the decendants of their original owners. Any thoughts on this?

Ciao,
GAC

Rick · 7th May 2005, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

"Natures great masterpiece, an elephant...."
-John Donne, "Progress of the Soul" XXXIX

While this narrative is an outstanding view of the times in the Sudan in these fascinating times, and it is amazing to hear the terrific descriptions of the weapons and tribesmen engaged in high adventure, I echo the the feelings expressed by Blu and Rick. I have always very much loved animals, but never fully appreciated what can only be described as the 'humanity' of these magnificent beings until I read "Sacred Elephant" (Heathcote Williams, N.Y.1989).

Although very impressed by this outstanding presentation from George, I cannot help feeling very saddened by the reality so graphically visualized.
Perhaps there is a lot to be said for romanticism without extreme detail.

Jim

While I am not offended by the descriptive process of the story ; I would like to offer the reverse of the old saw .

" Sometimes a thousand words are worth a whole album full of mental pictures ."

Most of the antique weapons that I am custodian for have been raised in anger to kill or maim ; I appreciate that they were a part of the making of history and deadly works of art . Having said that I am very glad that I do not have to see any graphic mental images of them in use every time I handle one . The knowledge of their use is enough .

As for the photo of the dead Juramentado , we were trying to discern whether his blade had sustained any bullet wounds . The story and description of his deeds and the damage and pain he sustained until his death was not the issue .

I certainly did not intend to scold or censor ; I just expressed my gut reaction to the text presented .

BluErf · 7th May 2005, 04:20 PM

I merely stated my thoughts - "Poor elephants, how and for what have you died."

Ivory was and is a luxury item.

And if you would ask - do I own anything with ivory on it? I would say yes, in fact quite a few items. I know, I know, next thing people would say is that I'm hypocritical.

But hey, it was sad to read how the elephants were killed then.

6th May 2005, 03:57 PM	#1
George Armstrong Custer Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6	Killing elephants with swords The Central-African-born novelist Wilbur Smith is justly renowned for the background research which lends historical accuracy to those of his novels set in historical periods. His new bestseller, The Triumph of the Sun is set during the 1884/5 siege of Khartoum in the Sudan by the Dervish forces of the Mahdi. At one point Smith describes an elephant hunt which is conducted by Emir Osman Atalan, en route to Khartoum from the Red Sea Hills. The modus operandi of the hunters is astonishing - and the descriptions of their weapons and their devotion to them is instructive: '[Emir Osman] held the scabbard of his broadsword clamped under his right knee against the saddle. The hilt was exquisitely fashioned from rhinoceros horn with a patina like amber, and the blade was inlaid with gold and silver.......While the horses rested the aggagiers took down their swords and shields from where they were tied to the saddles. They sat in a small, companionable group in the sunlight, and began to strop their blades on the cured giraffe hide of their shields. The hide of the giraffe was the toughest of all wild game, yet not so heavy as that of the buffalo or hippopotamus. The shields were round targes, unadorned with image or emblem, marked only by the blade of the enemy, or the claw and fang of the chase. Blade-honing was a pastime with which they filled their leisure, as much a part of their life as breathing.......There was silence except for the susurration of steel on leather. They paused in this endless activity only to test an edge with a thumb. Each blade was about three and a half feet in length, and double-edged. It was a replica of the broadswords of the crusaders that, centuries before, had so impressed the Saracens before the walls of Acre and Jerusalem. The most treasured blades had been forged from the steel of Solingen, and handed down from father to son. The marvellous temper of this metal imparted immense power to the blade, and it was capable of taking an edge like that of a surgeon's scalpel - the lightest stroke would split hide and hair, flesh and sinew to the deepest bone. A full stroke could divide an enemy at the waist, cutting him in two as effortlessly as though he were a ripe pomegranate. The scabbards were fashioned from two flat pieces of soft mimosa wood, held together and covered by the skin of an elephant's ear, dried hard and strong as iron. On the flat of the scabbard were two raised leather projections about twelve inches apart, which held the weapon securely under the horseman's thigh. Even at full gallop, it would not flap and bounce in the ungainly manner of the swords of European cavalry...........' The hunters later discover three bull elephants, and how these are felled is awesome: 'Osman dared not approach closer whilst he was mounted. He slipped from the saddle and girded up the hem of his jibba with the blue sash, leaving his legs covered only with baggy breeches. He tightened the straps of his sandals, then drew his broadsword. Instinctively he tried the edge and sucked the drop of blood that welled from the ball of his thumb.........The bull seemed as majestic as a three-decked man-o'-war. It seemed impossible that such a mighty beast could fall to the puny blade. Osman stepped lithely and lightly with the grace of a dancer, carrying the sword in his right hand. However, he had bound the first hand's breadth of the blade above the cruciform crosspiece of the hilt with a strip of skin from the ear of a freshly killed elephant: now that this had dried and cured it formed a double grip for his left hand..........Osman changed his grip, two-handed now for the fatal stroke, and moved down the bull's flank close enough to touch him with the point of the sword.........His aggagiers watched him with awe and admiration. A lesser warrior would have chosen to hamstring his quarry, approaching the unsuspecting beast from behind and, with swift double strokes, severing the main tendons and arteries in the back of the legs above the huge, splayed feet. That injury would allow the hunter to escape, but cripple and anchor the bull until the severed arteries had drained the life from him, a slow death that might take up to an hour. However, to attempt the head-on approach as the emir was doing, increased the danger a hundredfold. Osman was now well within the arc of the trunk, which was capable of delivering a blow that would shatter every bone in his body. The huge ears picked up the smallest sound, even a carefully controlled breath, and at such close quarters the rheumy little eyes could detect the slightest movement..............The dangling trunk was also shielded by the thick yellow tusks. Osman had to entice the bull into extending it towards him. Any untoward movement, any incongruous sound would trigger a devastating response. He would be clubbed down by a blow from the trunk, or trampled under the pads of those great feet, or transfixed by an ivory tusk, then knelt upon and ground to bloody paste under the bulging bone of the bull's forehead.........Osman twisted the blade gently between his fists and, with the polished metal, picked up one of the stray sunbeams that pierced the canopy above his head. He played the reflected sunbeam onto the bull's gently flapping ear, then directed it forward gradually until it shot a tiny diamond wedge of light into the bull's half-closed eye. The elephant opened his eye fully and it glittered as he sought out the source of this mild annoyance. He detected no movement other than the trembling spot of sunlight, and reached out his trunk towards it, not alarmed but mildly curious.........There was no need for Osman to adjust his double grip on the hilt. The blade described a glittering sweep in the air, fast as the stoop of the hunting peregrine. There was no bone in the trunk to turn the blow so the silver blade sliced cleanly through it and half dropped to the ground........The elephant reeled back from the shock and agony. Osman jumped back at the same instant and the bull spotted the movement and tried to lash out at it. But his trunk lay on the earth, and as the stump swung in an arc towards Osman, the blood hosed from the open arteries and sprayed in a crimson jet that soaked his jibba. Then the bull lifted the stump of his amputated trunk and trumpeted in mortal anguish, his blood spraying back over his head and into his eyes. He charged into the forest, shattering the trees and thornbushes that blocked his path. Startled from the brink of sleep by his trumpeting screams, the other bulls fled with him.............' The story continues with the hunters riding down the other two bull elephants, and, leaping from their horses, despatching one by the same method of trunk amputation, and the second by the slower method of slashing with swords the arteries and tendons in the rear legs. By the time this last elephant is brought down, the two whose trunks had been slashed off had bled to death - the blood pumped out of the arteries in the trunk stump at a great rate as the distraught animals charged through the bush. Two of the hunters are killed in the process. I hope these brief extracts might whet your appetite to read the whole book. Its worth it for the whole story of the hunting of the bull elephants by sword alone. It's also the best fictionalised account I've read of the events in the Sudan in 1884/5 which culminated in the fall of Khartoum and the death of General Charlton Heston (oops! I mean General Charles Gordon, of course!) Ciao, GAC Last edited by George Armstrong Custer; 6th May 2005 at 06:02 PM.

7th May 2005, 01:43 AM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,288	Sad Agreed Blu , honestly I was sickened at the thought of severing an Elephant's trunk . Times were different then , but an Elephant's trunk is .... such a wonderful thing , a miracle of nature .

7th May 2005, 11:43 AM	#6
George Armstrong Custer Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 6	Like Jeff I find some of the responses to the usage of these kaskaras interesting. I'd point out firstly, though, that my intention when posting the extracts was certainly not to offend anyone's sensibilities. It seems to me that an important part of the collecting and ownership of historic weapons ought to be an absolute awareness of the purpose for which they were first produced. It is, perhaps, easy to become so engrossed in the artistic, decorative and manufacturing processes surrounding these weapons, as well as their ethnic and cultural attributes, that one overlooks - or perhaps chooses not to dwell upon - the fact that they were made to be used. And in the vast majority of cases, that use was the killing of other human beings. In my humble opinion it is only by fully appreciating what these weapons were intended to be used for that one can fully understand the nuances of their technical design - that is, they each incorporate specific design features which were intended to enhance their ability to kill by various means. I would go further, and say that it is only by appreciating that these were state-of-the-art killing tools that one can begin to accord them the respect that is perhaps their due - anything else is to trivialise them as mere ornamental objects. By this process also, collectors can begin to understand the reverence with which so many societies imbued these weapons - the creators of these weapons, of course, understood better than anyone their deadly function as an arbiter between life and death, and as a consequence often saw in them an almost mystical quality. The detail of how the weapons in our collections inflicted death does not, of course, make pleasant reading. But I do believe that we lose some of our integrity as collectors and interpreters of the past if we 'conveniently' overlook these unpalatable details - the end purpose of a weapon should be aired and discussed as openly as the decoration applied to it. As to the methodology of killing elephants with the kaskara, when I first read Smith's account I was myself taken aback at the shocking and mortal blow which was inflicted upon the most iconic part of an elephant's anatomy. As I said in my introduction to the piece, the modus operandi of these hunders was truly astonishing. But as I've tried to explain above, I do not believe that we, as collectors, should shrink from such graphic knowledge as to how the weapons in our collections were deployed by their original owners. Bluerf condemns the slaughter of the elephants by these nomadic tribesmen as being merely for the 'vanity of man'. With the greatest of respect, I would beg to differ, and point out that the trade of ivory underpinned the fragile trading economies of these peoples. And there is also the fact that the hunders took on their prey on a one to one basis; they could - and many did - perish in the encounter rather than the elephant. In my personal view it is absolutely pointless to try to impose our 21st-century mores and ethics when trying to understand the way of life of past societies. To try to do so will inevitably distort and obscure a true understanding of their concept of honor and their understanding of the cycle of life and death. Jeff's obsevation on the fact that human gore on a blade can be discussed with apparent equanimity, whilst the bloody slaughter of an elephant can raise declarations of abhorrence is indeed an interesting one, and no doubt a psychologist could give a better explanation of this than I. But it is a curious apparent paradox which I've noticed before. The most extreme example of this phenomenon was probably Hitler, who directed the extermination of millions of human beings without a qualm, and yet was a vegetarian who vocally condemned any cruelty to animals........ Finally, I'd be interested to hear comment on Smith's reiteration of the idea that the kaskara were decended from the swords of European knights in the Crusades. I know that the feature on the kaskara on this site supports the 'revisionist' view that there is little or no connection. But I always feel that so many hundreds of thousands of European warriors went to the Holy Land on Crusade, and so many of these Crusades ended in disaster for them, that there must have been a vast body of European weaponry left in the region. The arid atmosphere was, of course, conducive to their long term survival thereafter. I therefore tend to the idea that it is more likely than not that the form of the kaskaras owed something to the swords of the Crusaders - and also that it is likely to be more than a hoary Victorian myth that a few original European Crusading blades were being carried as cherished heirlooms into the colonial wars of the 19th-century, and used against the decendants of their original owners. Any thoughts on this? Ciao, GAC Last edited by George Armstrong Custer; 7th May 2005 at 12:46 PM.

7th May 2005, 01:12 AM	#2
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Brave and skilled as the hunters were, I can't help but feel sorry for the elephants. A magnificent beast, as they described, felled for the vainity of man, not for food or clothing...

7th May 2005, 03:05 AM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,905	"Natures great masterpiece, an elephant...." -John Donne, "Progress of the Soul" XXXIX While this narrative is an outstanding view of the times in the Sudan in these fascinating times, and it is amazing to hear the terrific descriptions of the weapons and tribesmen engaged in high adventure, I echo the the feelings expressed by Blu and Rick. I have always very much loved animals, but never fully appreciated what can only be described as the 'humanity' of these magnificent beings until I read "Sacred Elephant" (Heathcote Williams, N.Y.1989). Although very impressed by this outstanding presentation from George, I cannot help feeling very saddened by the reality so graphically visualized. Perhaps there is a lot to be said for romanticism without extreme detail. Jim

7th May 2005, 06:07 AM	#5
Jeff D Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 473	Hi All, Although Wilbur tends to exagerate most details I think he is not far from the truth on how elephants were hunted with kaskaras. Check this site that has come up before, near the end. http://www.worldwideschool.org/libra...nia/chap8.html "The elephant-hunters, or aggageers, exhibited their swords, which differed in no respect from those usually worn; but they were bound with cord very closely from the guard for about nine inches along the blade, to enable them to be grasped by the right hand, while the hilt was held by the left; the weapon was thus converted into a two-handed sword. The scabbards were strengthened by an extra covering, formed of the skin of the elephant's ear. In a long conversation with these men, I found a corroboration of all that I had previously heard of their exploits, and they described the various methods of killing the elephant with the sword. Those hunters who could not afford to purchase horses hunted on foot, in parties not exceeding two persons. Their method was to follow the tracks of an elephant, so as to arrive at their game between the hours of 10 A.M. and noon, at which time the animal is either asleep, or extremely listless, and easy to approach. Should they discover the animal asleep, one of the hunters would creep stealthily towards the head, and with one blow sever the trunk while stretched upon the ground; in which case the elephant would start upon his feet, while the hunters escaped in the confusion of the moment. The trunk severed would cause an haemorrhage sufficient to insure the death of the elephant within about an hour. On time other hand, should the animal be awake upon their arrival, it would be impossible to approach the trunk; in such a case, they would creep up from behind, and give a tremendous cut at the back sinew of the hind leg, about a foot above the heel. Such a blow would disable the elephant at once, and would render comparatively easy a second cut to the remaining leg; the arteries being divided, the animal would quickly bleed to death. These were the methods adopted by poor hunters, until, by the sale of ivory, they could purchase horses for the higher branch of the art. Provided with horses, the party of hunters should not exceed four. They start before daybreak, and ride slowly throughout the country in search of elephants, generally keeping along the course of a river until they come upon the tracks where a herd or a single elephant may have drunk during the night. When once upon the tracks, they follow fast towards the retreating game. The elephants may be twenty miles distant; but it matters little to the aggageers. At length they discover them, and the hunt begins. The first step is to single out the bull with the largest tusks; this is the commencement of the fight. After a short hunt, the elephant turns upon his pursuers, who scatter and fly from his headlong charge until he gives up the pursuit; he at length turns to bay when again pressed by the hunters. It is the duty of one man in particular to ride up close to the head of the elephant, and thus to absorb its attention upon himself. This insures a desperate charge. The greatest coolness and dexterity are then required by the hunter, who now, the HUNTED, must so adapt the speed of his horse to the pace of the elephant, that the enraged beast gains in the race until it almost reaches the tail of the horse. In this manner the race continues. In the meantime, two hunters gallop up behind the elephant, unseen by the animal, whose attention is completely directed to the horse almost within his grasp. With extreme agility, when close to the heels of the elephant, one of the hunters, while at full speed, springs to the ground with his drawn sword, as his companion seizes the bridle, and with one dexterous two-handed blow he severs the back sinew. He immediately jumps out of the way and remounts his horse; but if the blow is successful, the elephant becomes disabled by the first pressure of its foot upon the ground; the enormous weight of the animal dislocates the joint, and it is rendered helpless. The hunter who has hitherto led the elephant immediately turns, and riding to within a few feet of the trunk, he induces the animal to attempt another charge. This, clumsily made, affords an easy opportunity for the aggageers behind to slash the sinew of the remaining leg, and the immense brute is reduced to a standstill; it dies of loss of blood in a short time, THUS POSITIVELY KILLED BY ONE MAN WITH TWO STROKES OF THE SWORD! This extraordinary hunting is attended with superlative danger, and the hunters frequently fall victims to their intrepidity. I felt inclined to take off my cap and make a low bow to the gallant and swarthy fellows who sat before me, when I knew the toughness of their hearts and the activity of their limbs. One of them was disabled for life by a cut from his own sword, that had severed the knee-cap and bitten deep into the joint, leaving a scar that appeared as though the leg had been nearly off; he had missed his blow at the elephant, owing to the high and tough dried grass that had partially stopped the sword, and in springing upon one side, to avoid the animal that had turned upon him, he fell over his own sharp blade, which cut through the bone, and he lay helpless; he was saved by one of his comrades, who immediately rushed in from behind, and with a desperate cut severed the back sinew of the elephant. As I listened to these fine fellows, who in a modest and unassuming manner recounted their adventures as matters of course, I felt exceedingly small. My whole life had been passed in wild sports from early manhood, and I had imagined that I understood as much as most people of this subject; but here were men who, without the aid of the best rifles and deadly projectiles, went straight at their game, and faced the lion in his den with shield and sabre. There is a freemasonry among hunters, and my heart was drawn towards these aggageers. We fraternised upon the spot, and I looked forward with intense pleasure to the day when we might become allies in action." Although I am not a hunter, and in fact both my parents were veterinarians, I do find it interesting, the shock of most of the replies. There is a dead human on another thread and most of the comments are what the "gore" on his blade is, no shock. This isn't a chastisement but an interesting observation. I thought all aspects of these weapons should be freely discussed? All the best. Jeff

7th May 2005, 04:20 PM	#8
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I merely stated my thoughts - "Poor elephants, how and for what have you died." Ivory was and is a luxury item. And if you would ask - do I own anything with ivory on it? I would say yes, in fact quite a few items. I know, I know, next thing people would say is that I'm hypocritical. But hey, it was sad to read how the elephants were killed then.