THE ELEPHANT. 165 



with, his trunk, ho passed them, ono by one, to the 

 few survivors. The moment came when there re- 

 mained only three Englishmen. These brave fellows 

 succeeded, nevertheless, in reloading the howitzers, 

 but before they could fire them they all fell, mortally 

 wounded. 



" < Here, my brave Kudabar cried he who held the 

 match. The elephant approached, seized the match, 

 fired the first gun, and was ready to continue the 

 manoeuvre, when two companies of infantry came up - 

 and dislodged the enemy." 



But there is nothing perfect in this world elephant 

 no more than man ; here is one proof among others : 

 " A male elephant, belonging to the commissariat, 

 was drinking at a stream, which passes through the 

 city of Dchra. An old woman approached to fill 

 her pitcher with water, when the animal, seized 

 with an inexplicable desire for mischief, passed his 

 trunk round the woman, threw her down, and placing 

 her under one of his feet, quietly crushed her, and 

 then began to flap his ears and to drink, as if this 

 little buffoonery had been but an innocent wander- 

 ing of the- imagination." 



It sometimes happens that domestic elephants 

 escape, and as we have seen some of these become 

 deserters. Others arc not slow in becoming disgusted 

 with their liberty, and come back to service of their 



