Two elephants

On an open field, with on the right a dozen coconut palm trees and in the background a faint sketch of buildings, stand two Sri Lankan elephants (Elephas maximus maximus). The elephant on the left is a male or female without tusks (aliya). With ropes the animal is tied between two trees: the right foreleg to the tree in front of it and the left hind leg to the tree behind it. This is a phase in the process of taming. With its trunk the animal picks up food placed in front of it. The second elephant, on the right in the drawing, we see from its left side. This male with short tusks (atha) is tame. He walks loose and plays a role in the 'breaking' of the tied elephant. He also reaches for food on the ground in front of him with his trunk. To the left between the trees and in the background in the middle, four figures are faintly sketched watching, likely men. They wear a long hip cloth (veshti, lungi), a blouse or cloth around their upper body. Page 56 from a sketchbook with 117 pages.