ELEPHANTS 69 
There were several babies in the lot, and they soon 
became playful and affectionate. Baby elephants 
are just three feet high at birth and weigh about 
two hundred pounds. They grow an inch each 
month. We made pets of them and amused our- 
selves with weaning them. We did this by taking a 
pail of warm milk and dipping the babies’ trunks 
into it, then doubling the trunks up and putting 
them into their owners’ mouths, and finally squirt- 
ing milk in with a squirt gun. The babies soon 
learned to imitate this procedure. They were mis- 
chievous little animals, full of fun and inquisitive- 
ness. Hour after hour, I played with them and 
laughed until I ached. 
The Sultan arrived with his retinue, and we gave 
him a ceremonial greeting. Deputations from all 
the villages were present, and Omar requisitioned 
food for a great feast. The Sultan had little to 
say about the elephants until I took hin up on the 
platform where he could count them for himself. 
For a minute he looked at them, wide-eyed; then 
he repeated, “Sir, you spoke the truth.” 
“T always speak the truth,” I replied, and I could 
see by his expression that he believed me. He was 
convinced that I was honest. I knew that I had his 
protection for any expeditions I might undertake 
in Trengganu. His friendship had been difficult 
to win, but it was worth the trouble—quite aside 
from the value of the elephants. Trengganu was 
virgin country, filled with animals that my custo- 
