THE ELEPHANT. 135 



Interesting adventure at Laknaor Instances of revenge. 



ing the greatest ravages amongst the inhabitants. 

 The principal road to the palace-gate was covered 

 with the sick and dying, extended on the ground, 

 at the very moment when the nabob must neces- 

 sarily pass. It appeared impossible for his ele- 

 phant to do otherwise than tread upon and crush 

 many of these poor wretches in his passage, 

 unless the prince would stop till the way could 

 be cleared ; but he was in haste, and such ten- 

 derness would be unbecoming in a personage of 

 his importance. The sagacious animal, however, 

 without appearing to slacken his pace, and with- 

 out having received any command, assisted them 

 with his trunk, removed some, set others on their 

 feet, and stepped over the rest with so much ad- 

 dress and assiduity, that not one person was 

 injured. 



But as elephants are remarkable for their love, 

 gratitude, and tenderness, so they are also sub- 

 ject to resentment. Acosta asserts, that a soldier 

 in Cochin, a town on the coast of Malabar, hav- 

 ing thrown a nut at an elephant, the animal took 

 it up and hid it; and some days after, seeing the 

 soldier pass by, he threw the nut in his face, making 

 a great noise, and going away leaping and dan- 

 cing. Another soldier in the same town, meet- 

 ing an elephant with his keeper, would not give 

 way to them ; whereupon the keeper complained 

 of the affront to the elephant, who, some time 

 afterwards spying the soldier by the side of the 

 river that runs through the town, ran hastily 



