A FEW ELEPHANT STORIES. 195 



liad her favorite elepliaiit trapped in all the splendor she 

 could muster, decorating him with the silks and jewels 

 she herself could not wear, and caressing his silky trunk 

 until he whinnied with pleasure. Mounted on his back, 

 she led the procession, followed by the corpse in the 

 funeral palanquin and the paid mourners weeping and 

 rending- the air with mock lamentations. 



Children threw flowers along the road, and nautch girls 

 sang and danced beside it. The coolies had piled high the 

 fiery couch, and added quantities of oil to make it burn 

 brighter and hotter around the withered old flesh and the 

 fresh, warm life that were to be consigned to it together. 

 As soon as the cortege reached the pyre, the musicians 

 began their doleful playing, and the priests came for- 

 ward to receive the victim. The moment had come ! 



As she did not descend from her seat, the priests made 

 a sign to the keeper, who ordered his elephant to kneel, 

 and then offered Mariana his hand to help her down. 

 But she declined in toto, clinging to the elephant's girdle 

 and uttering the most piercing shrieks and praying my 

 elephant to save her. 



When the priests saw they had been tricked, they 

 rushed toward Mariana furiously, fearing to lose their 

 victim ; but it was too late. The elephant seized the 

 Brahman leading the wretches, lifted him into the air 

 with his trunk, and dashed him down senseless. In vain 

 the keeper called him in tones of entreaty and command. 

 He was past control, and knew only that his beloved 



