Introduction xiii 



many hundredweights ; with it he can either 

 caress or slay ; and with it he can break down 

 stout trees or extract the stone from a peach 

 without losing a particle of the pulp. A well- 

 trained horse will lie down at the word of 

 command and afford shelter to his master ; 

 a well-trained dog will retrieve his master's 

 property and deliver it when ordered ; an 

 elephant will do both, and more. He will 

 assist his rider to mount and dismount either 

 by raising and lowering him on his trunk, or 

 by bending fore or hind-leg to form a step. 

 He will pass under an obstacle "on all fours" 

 if it be too low to permit of his standing 

 upright ; he will suffer severe operations 

 without being chloroformed or bound, when a 

 blow from foot or trunk would put a summary 

 end to surgical interference. Those who have 



D 



witnessed the extraction of an elephant's molar 

 tooth by means of a crow-bar and mallet, who 

 have assisted at the opening of a deep-seated 

 ulcer, and have seen the suffering of the 

 animal expressed only in tears and groans, 

 will place him for sagacity and forbearance in a 



