"Early in the morning, the whole party, including ladies, eager for
the novel spectacle, mounted elephants, and repaired to the private
gate of the royal palace, where the King met the Commander-in-Chief,
and conducted him and his company to a palace in the park, in one of
the courts of which the arena for the combats was prepared. In the
centre was erected a gigantic cage of strong bamboos, about fifty
feet high, and of like diameter, and rooffed with rope network. Sundry
smaller cells, communicating by sliding doors with the main theatre,
were tenanted by every species of the savagest inhabitants of
the forest. In the large cage, crowded together, and presenting a
formidable front of broad, shaggy foreheads well armed with horns,
stood a group of buffaloes sternly awaiting the conflict, with their
rear scientifically appuyé against the bamboos. The trap-doors being
lifted, two tigers, and the same number of bears and leopards, rushed
into the centre. The buffaloes instantly commenced hostilities, and
made complete shuttlecocks of the bears, who, however, finally
escaped by climbing up the bamboos beyond the reach of their horned
antagonists. The tigers, one of which was a beautiful animal, fared
scarcely better; indeed, the odds were much against them, there
being five buffaloes. They appeared, however to be no match for these
powerful creatures, even single-handed, and showed little disposition
to be the assaulters. The larger tiger was much gored in the head, and
in return took a mouthful of his enemy's dewlap, but was finally (as
the fancy would describe it) 'bored to the ropes and floored.' The
leopards seemed throughout the conflict sedulously to avoid a breach
of the peace.
"A rhinoceros was next let loose in open courtyard, and the attendants
attempted to induce him to pick a quarrel with a tiger who was chained
to a ring. The rhinoceros appeared, however, to consider a fettered
foe as quite beneath his enmity; and having once approached the tiger,
and quietly surveyed him, as he writhed and growled, expecting the
attack, turned suddenly round and trotted awkwardly off to the yard
gate, where he capsized a palankeen which was carrying away a lady
fatigued with the sight of these unfeminine sports.
"A buffalo and tiger were the next combatants: they attacked
furiously, the tiger springing at the first onset on the other's head,
and tearing his neck severely; but he was quickly dismounted, and
thrown with such violence as nearly to break his back, and quite to
disable him from renewing the combat.
"A small elephant was next impelled to attack a leopard. The battle
was short and decisive; the former falling on his knees, and thrusting
his blunted tusks nearly through his antagonist.
"On our return from the beast fight a breakfast awaited us at the
royal palace; and the white tablecloth being removed, quails, trained
for the purpose, were placed upon the green cloth, and fought most
gamely, after the manner of the English cockpit. This is an amusement
much in fashion among the natives of rank, and they bet large sums on
their birds, as they lounge luxuriously round, smoking their houkahs.