ELEPHANT MUKNA. 161 



ELEPHANT MUKNA. 



The sheep of India would do better for the hotter 

 parts of the United States, where wool could not be 

 raised, than sheep of colder climates. Wool of Indian 

 sheep is coarse, somewhat like an African's hair. 



Camels would be very useful, and I believe would do 

 well in America, at least in the Southern States. Ele- 

 phants, except in wet, marshy countries, without roads, 

 are not very useful. They are slow. Twenty-six miles 

 would be a long day's journey for an elephant. How- 

 ever, both camels and elephants could be introduced when 

 of a very small size. 



Under this head I may, perhaps, show some kind re- 

 membrance of two pets I had in the far East. 



The one was an elephant called " Mukna."* On my 

 first arrival, the Governor of the North East frontier 

 purchased two elephants for me. After the purchase he 

 became aware that the larger of the two was a fierce ani- 

 mal, and had killed two men, and told me that such was 

 the case. As soon as I saw the elephant he made a dart 

 at me, to lay hold of me, which gave me an itching to 

 tease him ; which I generally did by pointing my finger, 

 or a stick, at his face, always standing at a safe dis- 

 tance, with my friend well tied up. However, I never 

 admitted the mahouts (keepers) to steal the elephants' 

 rice, and always stood by to see them fed ; and I believe 

 they knew that was the case, for as soon as they saw me 

 there was great excitement, and a sharp lookout for their 

 food. Sometimes I would feed my friend, and then he 

 could be docile to me ; but otherwise, he invariably made 



* Mukna is a general name for elephants that have not large tusks. 



