SYMPATHY BETWEEN ELEPHANTS. 247 



old acquaintance; when, to the surprise of all pre- 

 sent, the faithful creature acknowledged her former 

 master, obeyed his call, and came towards him; 

 which so overjoyed the man, that, forgetful of dan- 

 ger, he got over the barrier, and the elephant, as if 

 feeling a reciprocal pleasure, lay down for his mas- 

 ter to mount. The mohout joyfully bestrode his 

 neck, and, with an insulting air, rode him to his 

 pickets.* 



Mr. Hervey having occasion to purchase an ele- 

 phant, was offered a most majestic one, in point of 

 size, at a very low price ; but he declined the bar- 

 gain, on account of a wound the creature had received 

 in the trunk, from the cruel rashness of its keeper, by 

 which it was greatly disfigured, and entirely disabled 

 from the functions that member usually performs. It 

 hung down, as if incapable of motion, and had lost 

 the power of suction, or of grasping; consequently, 

 the poor elephant was deprived of the power of pro- 

 curing his own subsistence, and was wholly depend- 

 ent on the attention of others. In this pitiable situa- 

 tion, one of its own species, a male elephant, sym- 

 pathised in its distress, compassionated its sufferings, 

 and constantly prepared for it bunches of grass, fresh 

 leaves, &c. and put them into its mouth.t 



Can any thing be more amiable than this conduct, 



* Williamson's Oriental Field Sports. t Ibid. 



