THE ELEPHANT. 147 



Sngacity of an Elephant. Its master had let it for 

 a certain sum per day ; and its employment was to 

 carry with its trunk, timber for a building out of 

 the river : which business it dispatched very dex- 

 terously, under the command of a boy ; and after- 

 wards laid the pieces one upon another, in such 

 exact order, that no man could have done it 

 better *. 



Elephants not only obey the voice of their keeper 

 when present; but some, even in his absence, will 

 perform extraordinary tasks which have been previ- 

 ously explained to them. " I have seen two," says 

 M. D'Obsonville, "^ occupied in beating down a 

 wall ; which their Cornaa had desired them to do, 

 and encouraged them by a promise of fruits and 

 brandy* They combined their efforts ; and doubling 

 up their trunks, which were guarded from injury 

 by leather, thrust against the strongest part of the 

 wall ; and by reiterated shocks continued their 

 efforts, carefully observing and following with 

 their eyes the efiects of the equilibrium : at last, 

 when it was sufficiently loosened, making one 

 violent puslu they suddenly drew back together, 

 that they might not be wounded ; and the whole* 

 can.e tumbling to the ground -j- ." 



Kovv that fire-arms are the principal implements 

 of Vv^ar, Elephants, which are terrified at the noise 

 and. fiaine^ instead of being useful, would, in ac- 

 tion, only tend to embarrass and confuse an army. 

 In Cochin, and other parts of Malabar, however. 



^"oyage t» Surat, quoted in Buff. Quad, t D'Obsonville, iCS. 



L!2 



