36 THE KING'S MAHOUT 



it if the ground is smooth and firm. Yet fatal 

 accidents have occurred to the over-confident who 

 did not dodge fast enough. And there have been 

 times, too, when, enraged at their failure to catch 

 the tormentor, the elephants have wreaked their 

 vengeance on nearby fences or buildings or any- 

 thing happening to be within reach. 



The process of elephant catching in India as well 

 as in Siam tends to rather undermine one's settled 

 notions of elephant sagacity, and to create instead 

 the feeling that a lot of sentimental nonsense and 

 misleading, ignorantly conceived animal stories, 

 have been put forth about My Lord, the Elephant. 

 The literal truth is that the elephant, for all its 

 reputed intelligence, is driven into places that no 

 other wild animal could possibly be induced to 

 enter; is, in its native jungle, held captive within 

 a circle through which it could pass without an 

 effort, and is bullied into uncomplaining obedience 

 by a force the smallest fraction of its own numbers. 

 Part of this is, no doubt, due to its exceedingly sus- 

 picious nature ; the other part because of its lack 

 of originality, which latter defect, however, has 

 great value for man since it accounts for the ele- 

 phant's notable amenability to discipline. 



