238 ANECDOTES OF ANIMALS. 



keeper became still more dissatisfied with him. Orders 

 had been given to the young man never to beat the 

 elephant, but in vain. Mortified at losing his influence, 

 which daily became less, his own irritability increased ; 

 and one day, being more unreasonable than ever, he 

 struck the elephant with such brutality that the beast 

 uttered a furious cry. The frightened keeper fled, 

 and it was well he did so ; for from that moment the 

 elephant could not endure the sight of him, becoming 

 violent the moment he appeared ; and nothing ever 

 restored the poor animal to his previous good conduct. 

 Hatred had succeeded to love, indocility to obedience ; 

 and as long as the animal lived, these two latter feelings 

 predominated. 



Mr. Broderip, in his delightful Zoological Recreation.^ 

 tells us of an elephant which was shown, among other 

 wild beasts, at a fair in the West of England. One 

 of the spectators gratified the elephant by some excel- 

 lent gingerbread nuts, in return for which the animal, 

 unsolicited, performed his tricks. The donor, however, 

 was a practical joker ; and when he had gained the 

 confidence of the good-tempered beast, presented him 

 with a large parcel, weighing two or three pound?, 

 which the elephant took unsuspectingly, all at once,, 

 He had scarcely swallowed it, however, than he set up 

 a loud roar, and seemed to suffer exceedingly. He gave 

 the bucket to his keeper, as if to ask for water, which 

 was supplied to him most plentifully. ' Ho ! ' said his 

 tormentor, ; those nuts were a trifle hot, old fellow, I 

 guess/ * You had better be off,' exclaimed the keeper, 

 ' unless you want the bucket at your head ; and serve 

 you right too.' The elephant drank the sixth bucket- 

 ful, and then hurled the empty vessel at the head of 



