A DRIVE AT MIRZAPUR 111 



At the end of our day's work we mounted 

 our elephants and rode back to camp, well 

 pleased with our day's sport. 



This is perhaps a good opportunity to say 

 a word about these elephants. The elephant 

 must certainly be the most intelligent animal 

 in creation. He lives to a great age and knows 

 his keeper so well that the latter can hold 

 intelligent conversations with him. As you 

 listen you feel that the animal understands 

 every word. The keeper calls out something 

 to the giant, and the elephant obeys him at 

 once to the letter. For instance, a sportsman 

 may have dropped something upon the ground. 

 The mahout (the driver) shouts some, to us, 

 unintelligible word, and the animal, without 

 the quiver of an eyelash, picks up the article 

 with his trunk and hands it politely to his 

 driver. 



If the path is bad in a thick jungle, the 

 elephant sets to work and systematically 

 makes another. He pulls small trees up by the 

 roots, bends others out of the way, and in a short 

 time the path is clear. As a rule the elephant 



