“Three,” Baba instructed the handlers, choosing from amongst the most capable adult cow elephants at the camp.
The handlers led the trio of tame elephants into a stockade that was enclosed by pointed stakes. The gate to it was left open. It could be swung shut from a safe distance in an instant, however, by means of a long, sturdy rope. Once the elephants were settled inside the stockade, Mili helped the handlers rub them down with an oil that smelt powerfully of bark and spice.
She knew what came next. The trappers were going to hunt the white elephant that night. They would drive it before them using their dogs and their drums, scaring it out of the forest and towards the stockade. The comforting scent of the cow elephants and the special oil would lure it inside.
As soon as it entered, the trappers would pull the gate shut, trapping the elephant. The cow elephants would gradually calm it, until such time that the trainers could safely approach.
