THE ELEPHANT. 155 



loosened the buckle of a large double leathern strap 

 with which its leg was fixed; and though the at- 

 tendants had wrapped the buckle round with a small 

 cord, and tied many knots on it, the creature deli-r 

 berately loosened the whole, without breaking ei- 

 ther the cord or the strap. One night, after disen- 

 gaging itself in this manner fro;n its strap, it broke 

 up the door of its lodge with such dexterity as 

 not to awaken the keeper. Thence it went into 

 several courts of the menagerie; forcing open doors, 

 and throwing down the walls when the doors were 

 too narrow to let it pass. In this manner it got 

 access to the apartments of other animals ; and so 

 terrified them, that they fied into the most retired 

 corners of the inclosure *. 



*•' I have frequently remarked (says Teny, in his 

 Voyage to the East Indies) that the Elephant per- 

 forms many actions which would seem almost the 

 immediate eftect of reason. He does every thing his 

 master commands. If he is directed to terrify any 

 person, he runs upon him with every appearance of 

 fury, and, when he comes near, stops short, with- 

 out doing him the least injury. When the master 

 chuses to affront any one, he tells the Elephant ; 

 who collects water and mud with his trunk, and 

 squirts it upon the object pointed out to him." 



That Elephants are susceptible of the warmest 

 attachment to each other,the following account, ex- 

 tracted from a late French journal, will sufficiently 

 prove. Two Ceylonese Elephants, a male and a 



* IJufi: Quad. 



