The Elephant 69 



with Futteh All, and ride him after tigers. He tells what 

 happened in the following words : 



" One afternoon I considered myself fortunate in arriv- 

 ing before Futteh AH when no one was in sight. I drew 

 up in front of him with a few pieces of chopped sugar-cane 

 in my hand. I looked attentively at the colossus, and 

 could observe no signs of any unusual emotion. I spoke 

 to him in those tones which I flattered myself he con- 

 sidered dulcet. On this he gently waved his ears and 

 twinkled his eyes, as who should say, ' It's all right ; you 

 are my friend.' I now called out cheerfully, 'Salaam, 

 Futteh Ali, Salaam ! ' and raised my arm at the same 

 time. To this he responded by lifting his trunk over his 

 head in return for the salute. This last act made assur- 

 ance doubly sure. I mounted the platform, and as I did 

 so the elephant again flung up his trunk, and opened his 

 mouth, as if to accept with gratitude my sweet and juicy 

 offerings. But his heart was full of treachery. He well 

 knew that with his front feet manacled it would be useless 

 to pursue me even if I had but a few inches start of him. 

 He therefore dissembled with great cleverness and self- 

 command till I had actually leant up against one of his 

 tusks, and had got my hand in his mouth ; then he sud- 

 denly belched forth a shout of rage, and made a sweep at 

 me with his tusks that sent me flying off the platform 

 into the dust below. ... I sat up bareheaded and half- 

 stunned, just in time to see the under-keeper, who had 

 been slumbering behind a pile of equipments all this time, 

 sent with greater force in a backward direction. . . . The 

 elephant, meanwhile, had thrown off the mask; it was 



