The Elephant 59 



placed. Its position is fixed within certain limits, how- 

 ever, and their object is to drive the herd in that direction 

 without at first attracting attention to the fact that this is 

 being done, and thereby causing continued alarm. Those 

 who direct proceedings know the character of elephants, 

 and count upon their lack of intelligence to aid them 

 in carrying out the design. Before any apprehension of 

 real danger makes itself felt, they have voluntarily, as it 

 seems to them, moved away from parties who just showed 

 themselves from time to time and then disappeared. They 

 still feed in solitudes apparently uninvaded, still stand 

 about after the manner of their kind, blowing dust through 

 their trunks or squirting water over their bodies. They 

 fan themselves with branches, and sleep in peace. 



At length, long after the true state of things would 

 have been fully appreciated by most other species, the 

 herd finds out that it is always moving in a definite direc- 

 tion. Then a dim consciousness of the truth, which day 

 by day becomes more vivid until it arrives at certainty, 

 takes possession of their minds. From that time an exhibi- 

 tion of traits which scarcely correspond with popular views 

 upon the elephant's intellect is constantly made. If they 

 had anything like the ability attributed to them, the toils 

 by which they are surrounded could be broken with ease. 

 There is no time from their first sight of a human being 

 to the very moment when they are bound to trees, at 

 which they could not escape. It is useless to say they 

 do not know this ; that is precisely what the creatures are 

 accused of. If they were such animals as they are said to 

 be, they would know it, and act accordingly. But as soon 



