66 ELEPHANTS. 



noise, I recompensed the people for the loss of 

 their kid. As soon as they were gone away, 

 the elephant allowed himself to be unloaded, 

 and the kid was found under the branches as 

 described by the people. I learnt from my 

 Sarcar, that similar complaints had been 

 made to him before, and that the rascal of a 

 Mahout made it a practice to ride the elephant 

 into the midst of a herd of goats, and had taught 

 him to pick up any of the young ones he direc- 

 ted ; he had also accustomed him to steal their 

 pumpions and other vegetables that grew 

 against the inside of their fences like french 

 beans, which could only be reached by an ele- 

 phant. He was the best Mahout I ever knew, 

 and so great a rogue, that I was obliged to 

 discharge him. 



The very day that he left my service, the 

 elephant's eyes were closed, which he did not 

 open again in less than a fortnight,, when it 

 was discovered that he was blind. Two small 

 eschars, one in each eye, were visible, which 

 indicated pretty strongly that he had been 



