ii THE ELEPHANT 25 



There is no quadruped not absolutely amphibious that is so 

 thoroughly at home in the water as the elephant. In a wild state 

 it will swim the largest rivers, and it delights in morasses, where 

 it rolls in the deep mud like a pig or buffalo, and thus coats its 

 hide with a covering of slime, which protects it from the attacks 

 of flies and the worry of mosquitoes. When in a domestic state, 

 the elephant is shy of trusting itself upon unsound earth or quick- 

 sands, as it appears to have lost the confidence resulting from an 

 independent freedom among the jungles, and marshy valleys teem- 

 ing with aquatic vegetation. It will also refuse to cross a bridge 

 unless of solid masonry, and it is curious to observe the extreme 

 care with which it sounds the structure, either by striking with 

 the coiled extremity of the trunk or by experimenting with the 

 pressure of one foot, before it ventures to trust its whole weight 

 upon the suspected floor. 



It is difficult to describe the limit of an elephant's swimming 

 powers ; this must depend upon many circumstances, whether it 

 is following the stream or otherwise, but the animal can remain 

 afloat for several hours without undue fatigue. The displacement 

 of an elephant's carcase is less than the weight of water, although 

 it swims so deeply immersed that it would appear to float with 

 difficulty. An elephant shot dead within the water will float 

 immediately, with a considerable portion of one flank raised so 

 high above the surface that several men could be supported, as 

 though upon a raft. The body of a hippopotamus will sink like a 

 stone, and will not reappear upon the surface for about two hours, 

 until the gas has to a certain degree distended the carcase : thus 

 the hippopotamus is of a denser and heavier. material than the 

 elephant, although it is an aquatic animal. 



When tame elephants cross a river they are conducted by their 

 drivers, who stand upon their backs, either balancing themselves 

 without assistance, or supported by holding a cord attached to the 

 animal's neck. It is very interesting to watch the passage of a 

 large river by a herd of these creatures, who to a stranger's eye 

 would appear to be in danger of drowning, although in reality 

 they are merely gamboling in the element which is their delight. 

 I have seen them cross the Brahmaputra when the channel was 

 about a mile in width. Forty elephants scrambled down the 

 precipitous bank of alluvial deposit and river sand : this, although 

 about thirty-five feet high, crumbled at once beneath the fore-foot 

 of the leading elephant, and many tons detached from the surface 

 quickly formed a steep incline. Squatting upon its hind-quarters, 

 and tucking its hinder knees beneath its belly, while it supported 



