236 elephant's character. 



bath as the crowd rushed toward them. The little one ran for- 

 ward toward the end of the valley, but, seeing the men there, 

 returned to his dam. She placed herself on the danger side of 

 her calf, and passed her proboscis over it again and again, as 

 if to assure it of safety. She frequently looked back to the 

 men, who kept up an incessant shouting, singing, and piping ; 

 then looked at her young one and ran after it, sometimes side- 

 ways, as if her feelings were divided between her anxiety to 

 protect her offspring and desire to revenge the temerity of her 

 persecutors. The men kept about a hundred yards in her rear, 

 and some that distance from her flanks, and continued thus 

 until she was obliged to cross a rivulet. The time spent in 

 descending and getting up the opposite bank allowed of their 

 coming up to the edge, and discharging their spears at about 

 twenty yards distance. After the first discharge she appeared 

 with her sides red with blood, and, beginning to flee for her own 

 life, seemed to think no more of her young. The calf soon ran 

 into a neighboring stream and was killed. The dam moved 

 more and more slowly, and, finally, with a shriek of rage, turned 

 and charged furiously upon her pursuers. These charges she 

 continued, wheeling when she found they had eluded her, until 

 she sunk down dead." 



No animal within the range of our knowledge more justly 

 receives the attention and the admiration of men than the ele- 

 phant ; none betrays nobler instincts and such remarkable 

 sagacity. They have figured prominently in the history of the 

 world for many hundreds of years. There seems to be no very 

 great difficulty about making them gentle and serviceable when 

 once they have been captured ; and when once they acknowledge 

 the authority of a man they become singularly obedient and 

 devoted. We remember that on one occasion an elephant, 

 which had been accustomed to the authority of his master, was 

 seduced from his allegiance and joined his fellows in their wild 

 life of the forest. Quite a long time after his running away, 

 the master was out hunting elephants, and coming upon a herd 

 thought that in the number he recognized his old servant, and 

 immediately advancing to his side and calling him by name was 

 astonished to see the powerful beast turn kindly to him and 

 submit with the easiest grace to his command, suffering him to 



