ELEPHANT FRIENDS AND FOES 33 
get his water from the aloe plants on the arid plains, 
or dig a well in the sand of a dry river bed with his 
trunk and fore feet, and drink there, or he is equally 
at home living half in the swamps of better-watered 
regions. He is at home on the low, hot plains of the 
seacoast at the equator or on the cool slopes of Kenia 
and Elgon. So far as I know, he suffers from no con- 
tagious diseases and has no enemies except man. 
There are elephants on Kenia that have never lain 
down for a hundred years. Some of the plains ele- 
phants do rest lying down, but no one ever saw a Kenia 
elephant lying down or any evidence that he does lie 
down to rest. The elephant is a good traveller. On 
good ground a good horse can outrun him, but on 
bad ground the horse would have no chance, and there 
are few animals that can cover more ground in a day 
than anelephant. And in spite of his appearance, he 
can turn with surprising agility and move through 
the forest as quietly as a rabbit. 
An elephant’s foot is almost as remarkable as his 
trunk. In the first place, his foot is encased in a 
baglike skin with a heavy padded bottom, with some 
of the characteristics of an anti-skid tire. An ele- 
phant walks on his toes. His toes form the front 
part of his foot and the bones of his foot run not only 
back but up. Underneath these bones at the back 
of his foot is a gelatine-like substance, which is a much 
more effective shock absorber than rubber heels or 
any other device. One of the curious things about 
this kind of a foot is that it swells out when the weight 
is on it and contracts when the weight is removed. 
