388 ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 



weeks before again visiting the animal, when he went 

 into the stable and began to fondle the elephant as he had 

 previously been accustomed to do. For a time no re- 

 sentment was shown, so that the Captain began to think 

 that the experiment had failed; but at last, watching for 

 an opportunity, the elephant filled his trunk with dirty 

 water, and drenched the Captain from head to foot. 



Griffiths says that at the siege of Bhurtpore, in 1805, 

 the British army had been a long time before the city, 

 and, owing to the hot dry winds, the ponds and tanks had 

 dried up. There used therefore to be no little struggle 

 for priority in procuring water at one of the large wells 

 which still contained water : 



On one occasion two elephant-drivers, each with his elephant, 

 the one remarkably large and strong, and the other comparatively 

 small and weak, were at the well together ; the small elephant 

 had been provided by his master with a bucket for the occasion, 

 which he carried on the end of his proboscis, but the larger 

 animal, being destitute of this necessary vessel, either spon- 

 taneously, or by the desire of his keeper, seized the bucket, and 

 easily wrested it from his less powerful fellow-servant; the latter 

 was too sensible of his inferiority openly to resent the insult, 

 though it is obvious that he felt it ; but great squabbling and 

 abuse ensued between the keepers. At length the weaker 

 animal, watching the opportunity when the other was standing 

 with his side to the well, retired backwards a few paces in a 

 very quiet and unsuspicious manner, and then, rushing forward 

 with all his might, droA r e his head against the side of the other, 

 and fairly pushed him into the well. 



Grreat trouble was experienced in extricating this 

 elephant from the well a task which would, indeed, have 

 been impossible but for the intelligence of the animal 

 itself. For when a number of fascines, which had been 

 employed by the army in conducting the siege, were 

 thrown down the well, the elephant showed sagacity 

 enough to arrange them with his trunk so as to construct 

 a continuously rising platform, by which he gradually 

 raised himself to a level with the ground. 



Allied to vindictiveness for small injuries is revenge for 

 large ones, and this is often shown in a terrible manner 



