“Oh, no, but I’d like to! I’ve heard the circus men talk about it lots of times. To trap a herd of elephants, the hunters first mark out a huge circle in the jungle and set up log posts all around. That’s called the kraal.”
“Why do they build a kraal?” Connie asked, puzzled.
“Because after they trap the elephants, they’d break right out again if the pen weren’t terribly strong. After the fence has been built, the hunters cover it with leaves and underbrush.”
“That’s to fool the elephant?” Veve guessed.
“Elephants are pretty smart,” the circus girl nodded. “If they wised up that they were being driven into a trap, they’d put up an awful fight.”
“How do the hunters get the elephants into the kraal?” inquired Connie.
“Oh, hundreds of native boys go into the jungle and frighten the elephants by shouting and beating on toms-toms. The herd is driven through the gates into the enclosure. Then quick as a flash, they light fires, so the elephants won’t try to get out the way they came in.”
“That doesn’t sound very hard,” Veve said. “I thought it would be a much bigger job to catch an elephant.”
“I guess it would be if you were doing it,” Eva replied. “Sometimes the elephants get so angry at being trapped that they tear down the kraal. But if it has been strongly built, they can’t get away. After a while, the elephants quiet down and behave themselves. Then the men ride in on tame elephants and pick out the elephant they want.”
“After going to all that trouble, why not keep them all?” questioned Veve. “If I were a hunter, that’s what I would do.”