THE ELEPHANT. 73 



K gerous to break any promife that is made to 

 ' him : Many cornacks have fallen victims to in- 

 c difcretions of this kind. On this fubject, a fad, 

 c which happened at Decan, deferves to be re- 

 ' lated, and, though it has the appearance of in- 

 ( credibility, it is, notwithstanding, perfectly true. 



* An elephant out of revenge killed his cornack. 



* The man's wife who beheld the dreadful 



* fcene, took her two infants and threw them at 

 'the feet of the enraged animal, faying, Since 

 ( you have /Iain my hu/band, take my life alfo, as 

 4 ivcll as that of my children. The elephant in- 



* ftantly flopped, relented, and, as if thing with 

 ' remorfe, took the deleft boy in its trunk, 

 ' placed him on its neck, adopted him for its 

 i cornack, and would never allow any other 

 ' perfon to mount it. 



' If the elephant is vindictive, he is not tin- 



* grateful. A foldier at Pondicherry was accu- 

 ' domed to give a certain quantity of arrack to 



* one of thefe animals every time he got his pay ; 



* and, having one day intoxicated himfelf, and, 



* being purfued by the guard, who wanted to 

 4 put him in prifon, he took refuge under the 

 ' elephant, and fell faft aileep. The guard in 

 ' vain attempted to drag him from this afiylurn; 

 ' for the elephant defended him with its trunk. 

 4 Next day the foldier having recovered from 

 : his intoxication, was in dreadful apprehenfions 



when he found himfelf under the belly of an 

 : animal fo enormous. The elephant, which 



1 unqueftion- 



