198 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



over returned to tlie shade. I was greatly surprised, 

 knowing how the animals disliked cold rain-water, but 

 my friend the judge quickly enlightened me. Several 

 years before, one of his hunting elephants had been struck 

 by lightning while standing under a tree in the park, and 

 ever since the herd had gone through the tactics I had 

 observed, at the first indications of a thunder-storm, and 

 had taught all the new-comers the same habit of safety. 

 This faculty of communicating ideas is well established. 

 I remember once trying to cross a stream on the back of 

 a favorite elephant, when he and all the others in the 

 party, but he first, absolutely refused to put foot into the 

 water. After reasoning with hini and punishing him, 

 and all hi vain, my driver grumbling all the while at the 

 impossibility of altering his mind, I recalled that a year 

 before at this very ford he had hurt his foot on a sharp 

 stone in the river-bed. That lie should have remembered 

 it was very singular, but more so that he could make 

 his companions share his fear of repeating the accident ; 

 but that both these things happened is certain, for by 

 riding a few hundred yards down the stream to another 

 ford, we had no difficulty in getting them to carry us 

 over without special urging. 



In the Indian colonies, especially on the coast of Mala- 

 bar, where one travels days through unbroken forest and 

 jungle meeting only wild beasts, the postal service is done 

 by a native mounted on the most intelligent and fastest 

 travelling elephant obtainable. Many of the stories told 



