52 The Life of an Elephant 



recovering his equanimity. He betook himself 

 to the nearest stream and spent some hours in 

 bathing, in lying in the water, in 

 s^-v cooling his heated blood. Then, 

 ^V~v_ spreading earth over his 



^^ wounds to ward off the 

 attacks of flies, he pro- 

 ceeded to graze his way in the direction opposite 

 to that taken by the herd. 



Before following further the fortunes of our 

 elephant it will be interesting to sketch shortly 

 the life of this solitary tusker when driven from 

 the herd and condemned to a life of loneliness. 

 A long term of not unhappy years was before 

 him. He possessed vast experience, and his 

 wants were fully assured in the friendly forest. 

 He could live a luxurious life, following the 

 vegetation in its seasonal chang-e ; browsing on 

 bamboos so long as their foliage remained 

 green, entering the 

 swampy land in the 

 summer heats, returning 

 to the savannahs when 

 the new grass appeared, 



