96 The Life of an Elephant 



or of rajahs, had spent their lives in the charge 

 of elephants and, dying, bequeathed their know- 

 ledge and their duties to their sons. Such men 

 formed a clan, almost a race apart, now fast 

 dying out under the pressure of veterinary 

 science from the west — men who possessed 

 special knowledge of the habits and manners 

 of this forest tribe, who had accumulated vast 

 stores of legendary and practical information 

 as to their treatment in disease or health, and 

 who could judge at a glance of the good and 

 bad points of an elephant, and decide instantly 

 as to the temperament of each individual, and 

 whether it was trustworthy or dangerous ; who 

 had even invented a special language for freer 

 intercourse with the animals they lived with. 

 To these men the elephant seems to give a 

 special allegiance, and often a most marked 

 affection. 



Kareem was no better or worse than those 

 of his class. He would treat those he respected 

 or loved, whether master or elephant, with 

 fidelity ; he was courageous, hot-tempered, and, 

 in physique, well suited to his profession. To 



