THE ELEPHANT AT WORK. 445 



able animal has lain down and died the first time it was tried 

 in harness from what the natives designate a ' broken heart.^ 

 Official records prove that more than half of the elephants em- 

 ployed in the public departments of the Ceylon government 

 die in one year's servitude, and even when fully trained and 

 inured to captivity, the working elephant is always a delicate 

 animal, subject to a great variety of diseases, and consequently 

 often incapacitated from labour. Thus, in spite of his colossal 

 strength, which cannot even be employed to its full extent, as 

 it is difficult to pack him without chafing the skin, and waggons 

 of corresponding dimension to his muscular powers would 

 utterly ruin the best constructed roads, it is very doubtful 

 whether his services are in proportion to his cost, and Sir J. E. 

 Tennent is of opinion that two vigorous dray horses would, at 

 less expense, do more effectual work than any elephant. 



In no kind of labour does the elephant display a greater 



[ingenuity than in dragging and piling felled timber, going on 



for hours disposing of log after log, almost without a hint or a 



r direction from his attendant. In this manner two elephants, em- 



[ployed in piling ebony and satin wood in the yards attached to 



Jthe Commissariat stores at Colombo, were so accustomed to the 



[work that they were enabled to accomplish it with equal pre- 



Fcision and with greater rapidity than if it had been done by 



dock-labourers. When the pile attained a certain height which 



[baffled their conjoint efforts to raise one of the heavy logs of 



[ebony to the summit, they had been taught to lean two pieces 



[against the heap, up the inclined plane of which they gently 



rolled the remaining logs, and placed them trimly on the top. 



Such is the earnestness and perseverance displayed by the 



igacious creatures while accomplishing their task, that super- 



^vision might almost be thought superfluous ; but as soon as the 



?ye of the keeper is withdrawn, their innate love of ease dis- 



)lays itself, and away they stroll lazily to browse, or to enjoy 



bhe luxury of fanning themsels^es and blowing dust over their 



Lcks. 



