84 The Life of an Elephant 



of a fellow-servant, adopted this means of 

 getting him into trouble. It will be recalled 

 that some wild animals will refuse, when in 

 confinement, to eat from the hand of their 

 keeper, even when on affectionate terms with 

 him. The wild dog, especially, insists on this 

 suspicious attitude, and it is also sometimes 

 assumed by monkeys. An old Langur monkey, 

 which had been in confinement for years, would 

 to the last insist on washing any food handed 

 to her, with a view to removing the disagree- 

 ■ able scent of the human hand. This animal 

 was extremely fond of loaf sugar, and would 

 chatter with rage as each lump disappeared 

 under the cleansing to which she subjected it, 

 leaving no trace, save in sticky paws, which 

 were greedily sucked. But the elephant, 

 though refusing distasteful food, may sometimes 

 be persuaded to swallow it, though at others 

 he will close the argument by dropping it 

 from his mouth and covering it with a massive 

 fore-foot. 



The end came at last, when a broker from 

 India saw the elephant toiling wearily in the 



