The Elephant 51 



that they may follow, by one of the many significant 

 sounds that elephants make. 



A number of narratives describe events as they are 

 likely then to occur, but they are merely hunting 

 stories, and so far as the writer's memory serves, do not 

 bring out the animal's traits in any special way. It would 

 appear, however, that the behavior of elephants who unex- 

 pectedly meet with Europeans in those places where all the 

 resistance previously experienced came from farmers them- 

 selves, is very different from what it is in the former case. 

 Then they are said to be difficult to get rid of, and when 

 driven away from one point by shouts, horns, drums, and the 

 firing of guns, they rush away to another part of the planta- 

 tions, and continue their depredations. No such passive 

 resistance as this is attempted when English sportsmen 

 are upon the spot. Elephants discover their presence 

 immediately. Upon the first explosion of a heavy rifle, the 

 alarm is sounded from different parts of the field, and the 

 herd betakes itself to flight without any notion of halting 

 by the way. Their dominant idea is to get clear of those 

 premises as soon as possible. 



"The elephant," says Andersson, "has a very expressive 

 organ of voice. The sounds which he utters have been 

 distinguished by his Asiatic keepers into three kinds. The 

 first is very shrill, and is produced by blowing through his 

 trunk. This is indicative of pleasure. The second, made by 

 the mouth, is a low note expressive of want ; and the third, 

 proceeding from the throat, is a terrific roar of anger or 

 revenge." Sanderson seems to think that these discrim- 

 inations are somewhat fanciful. He remarks that "ele- 



