ELEPHANTS 69 



in public, Coco began to. find out about his 

 surroundings. His flexible little trunk was 

 here, there, and everywhere, and, although he 

 would always at once lower it meekly at hear- 

 ing the word "Coco" called out, he would 

 do exactly the same thing again as soon as 

 his keeper's attention was turned away from 

 him. 



He began one day to pull down the gas 

 pipes over his head and, when those had been 

 put to rights again, he tried to investigate 

 the electric light by drawing the bulb over to 

 his mouth with his trunk, and was barely 

 saved from crushing it, and probably causing 

 his own death. 



Just round a corner of the wall where he 

 and his companions are usually fastened up 

 underneath Madison Square Garden is a 

 water faucet where the men get the drinking 

 water for the elephants, and for washing the 

 floor. One night when, after the perform- 

 ance, the lights had been put out with the ex- 

 ception of one or two, and all the men had 

 gone but the watchmen, Coco was very quiet 



