248 DECOY ELEPHANTS. 



or more similar to an act of reason ? for the mere in- 

 stincts of elephants could not teach them to discern 

 the consequences of their companion's misfortune. 

 Rats are- said to show a degree of pity and sagacity 

 nearly equals in case of one of their community be- 

 coming blind : they have been seen to lead the blind 

 rat to drink, by placing a straw in its mouth, and a 

 rat at each end of it guiding their companion to the 

 water. 



The sagacity of elephants, it seems, is sometimes 

 employed to seduce, as well as to assist those of their 

 own kind. The females, when properly disciplined, 

 are frequently employed by the mohouts, or keepers, 

 to entrap the wild males ; a task that they perform 

 with the address, dexterity, and allurements of a 

 Dalilah. After having completely attracted their 

 admirer, who, like Samson, seems a willing slave, the 

 sly deceiver contrives to amuse and divert the atten- 

 tion of her innamorato, whilst the mohout cautiously 

 creeps, at the risk of his life, between them, and se- 

 cures his prize, by confining his legs with strong fet- 

 ters to a tree. Nothing can exceed the rage and re- 

 sentment of the males when they discover the strata- 

 gem : their love is turned into the bitterest hatred. 

 They sometimes break loose, and destroy both the 

 mohout and his assistant, whom they seem to perceive 

 was conscious of the delusion. They pursue her with 



