THE ELEPHANT. 133 



Care of children. 



Another elephant, in his periodical madness, 

 killed his keeper, upon which the wife took her 

 two children and flung them before the enraged 

 animal, saying, " Now you have destroyed the 

 father, you may as well put an end to their lives 

 and mine." The creature instantly relented, 

 placed the largest of the children on his back, 

 adopted him for his keeper, and would never 

 afterwards be mounted by any other person. 



Dr. Darwin was informed, on the most respec- 

 table authority, that the elephants which are em- 

 ployed to carry the baggage of the armies be- 

 longing to the East India company are put each 

 under the care of one of the natives of Hindos- 

 tan ; and whilst this person and his wife go into 

 the woods to collect leaves and branches of trees 

 for his food, they fix him to the ground by a 

 length of chain, and frequently leave a child yet 

 unable to walk, under his protection; and the 

 intelligent animal not only defends it, but, as it 

 creeps about, when it arrives near the extremity 

 of his chain, he wraps his trunk gently round its 

 body, and brings it again into the centre of his 

 circle. 



Tavernier relates, that one of the kings of 

 India was on a hunting-party, with his son, upon 

 an elephant, when the animal, being seized with 

 one of his fits of madness, became at once ungo- 

 vernable and furious. The keeper told the king, 

 that, to allay the fury of the animal, who would 

 Otherwise bruise them all to death among the 



