JUMBO AND TOUNC TALOUNC. 397 



Height, measuring from sole of foot to a point between shoulder-blades, about 

 12 feet. 



Entire length of animal, 14 feet 



The heart weighed 46 pounds. 



When alive Jumbo weighed 7 tons, and the weight of the mounted skeleton is 

 about 3 tons. 



Since Jumbo was the most wonderful elephant that ever lived, I may as well 

 give you all that is known about him. 



He was twenty-three years old when he died, and as elephants cease growing 

 only when they attain the age of thirty, we began to have great fears as to how we 

 should get him through the numerous railroad tunnels of the country. He was 

 within five or six inches of the height of an ordinary railroad tunnel when he died. 



Originally, Jumbo was a small African elephant. He was brought across the 

 deserts by Arabs, and was fed on camel's milk. He was consigned to the Jardin 

 des P/an/fs, in Paris, and when he arrived there he was a funny little animal that 

 attracted no particular notice. In an exchange of some animals with the Zoological 

 Garden in London, the managers of the Jardin des Plantcs sent this little elephant 

 among the rest, not considering him of much account. 



After he had been for a few months at the Zoological Garden, he and his 

 keeper, Mr. Scott, were one day photographed, and in the picture it is shown that 

 the keeper stood a breast higher than Jumbo. All at once, however, a sudden 

 spurt of growing came over him, just as ordinary-sized boys in a family suddenly 

 grow up into giants ; and Jumbo grew, and grew, and grew, until he got to be 

 twelve feet high, fourteen feet long, eighteen feet around the middle of his body, 

 and reached the very respectable aldermanic-elephantine weight of seven tons. 



Mr. Barnum says of him : I had often seen the famous big elephant, and had 

 ridden on him, but it never entered my head that I could buy him. I eventually 

 told my agent to approach Mr. Bartlett, the Superintendent of the Gardens, on the 

 subject. He conferred with the Council of the Gardens, and they accepted my offer 

 of $10,000 for the animal. 



In view of the results of this enterprise, it seems a little singular, but the fact is, 

 my partner, Mr. Hutchinson, was strongly opposed to buying Jumbo. 



" What is the difference," he would say, " between an elephant seven feet high 

 and another eleven or twelve feet high? an elephant is an elephant." 



I insisted that this was the greatest beast in the world, and urged that, being 

 such, Barnum's Circus couldn't afford to be without him. Finally the objections 

 of my partner were overruled and we sent over the money to pay for Jumbo. 



When the English people got information that Jumbo was to be taken out of 

 the country, they were fairly wild with excitement. Many newspapers looked upon 

 it as an outrage, and blamed the Superintendent of the Gardens, the Council, and 

 every one who had had anything to do with the affair. The great art critic John 

 Ruskin took part in the discussion, and said that England was not accustomed to 

 sell her pets. 



