The Elephant 47 



Most of these great timber districts are under the super- 

 vision of officers, and the camps of their parties are widely 

 scattered through large and lonely tracts of woodland. If 

 one of these is come upon by a herd of elephants while its 

 occupants are absent, a striking trait in this creature's 

 character will almost surely be exhibited. No monkey is 

 more mischievous than one of these big brutes, and when 

 the men return they probably find that nothing which could 

 be displaced, marred, or broken, has escaped their attention. 

 Elephants are also very curious; anything unusual is apt 

 to attract them, and if they do not become alarmed at it, 

 the gravity with which a novel object is examined, and 

 the queer, awkward way in which these beasts mani- 

 fest interest or amusement, is singular enough. Some- 

 times their performances under the incitement of curiosity 

 or malicious mischief are decidedly unpleasant. A wild 

 elephant came out of the woods one night and pawed a 

 hole in the side of Sanderson's tent. Hornaday says he 

 made a little door in the wall at the head of his bed, so 

 that he could bolt at once in case of a visitation like this. 

 People living in such places, and in frail houses, are ex- 

 posed to another contingency. Elephants are very sub- 

 ject to panics, and as they often arise from causes that 

 should not disturb such a creature at all, no one can tell 

 when a herd may not rush off together, and go screaming 

 through the wood, breaking down everything but the big 

 trees before them. 



Sooner or later, a hunting party's progress will be ar- 

 rested by the halt of their guide : he crouches down in 

 his tracks and looks intently, as it appears, at nothing. 



