THE ELEPHANT AT WORK 465 



ingenuity than in dragging and piling felled timber, going on 

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

 a direction of his attendant. In this manner two elephants, 

 ( mployed in piling ebony and satin wood in the yards attached 

 to the Commissariat stores at Colombo, were so accustomed to 

 the work that they were enabled to accomplish it with equal 

 ]»ii'cision and with greater rapidity than if it had been done by 

 (lock-labourers. When the pile attained a certain height which 

 haffled their conjoint efforts to raise one of the heavy logs of 

 ('1)()ny to the summit, they had been taught to lean two pieces 

 ai^idnst 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 

 saj^^acious creatures while accomplishing their task, that super- 

 \ Ision might almost be thought superfluous, but as soon as the 

 eye of the keeper is withdrawn, their innate love of ease dis- 

 plays itself, and away they stroll lazily to browse, or to enjoy 

 the luxury of fanning themselves and blowing dust over their 

 hacks. 



H H 



