THE ELEPHANT. 151 



of nature, while the heart of the beast relented ; he, 

 more worthy than his rider to elevate his front to- 

 wards the heavens, heard and obeyed the calls of 

 humanity *. 



The following instance of the sao-acity of these 

 animals was mentioned to Dr. Darwin by some 

 gentlemen of undoubted veracity, who had been 

 much conversant with our Eastern settlements. The 

 Elephants that are used to carry the baggage of our 

 armies, are put each under the care of one of the 

 natives of Indostan ; and wlilstt-his person and his 

 wife go into the woods to collect leaves and branches 

 of trees f)r his food, they fix him to the ground by 

 a length of chain, and frequently leave a child yet 

 unable to walk, under his protection ; and the in- 

 telligent animal not only defends it, but, as.it c.ee[)S 

 about, wlien it arrives near the extremity of his 

 chain, he wraps his trunk gently roawd us body, 

 and brings it again into the centre of his circle '|~. 



During one of the wars in India, many i^'rench- 

 men had an opportunity of observing one of the 

 Elephants that had received a iieili-wound fro -i a 

 cannon-ball. After havino- been t^\ice or tlirice con- 

 ducted to the hospital, v. here he cx;ended hiaiself 

 to be drossedj he afterwards used to go alone, 'j. he 

 surgeon did whatever he thought necessary, ap /ly- 

 ing sometimes even tire to the wound ; and though 

 the pain made the animal often utter the most phun^ 

 live groans, he never expressed any other tokens 

 than those of gratitude to this person, wiio by mo- 



D'Obfonvillc, 160. t Darwin's Zoonomia. 



L4 



