20G 
MAMMALIA. 
[Chap. VI. 
Of the two young elephants which were taken in the 
corral, the smallest was sent down to my house at Colombo, 
where he became a general favourite with the servants. 
He attached himself especially to the coachman, who had 
a little shed erected for him near his own quarters at 
the stables. But his favourite resort was the kitchen, 
where he received a daily allowance of milk and plan- 
tains, and picked up several other delicacies besides. 
He was innocent and playful in the extreme, and when 
walking in the grounds he would trot up to me, twine his 
little trunk round my arm, and coax me to take him to 
the fruit-trees. In the evening the grass-cutters now 
and then indulged him by permitting him to carry home 
a load of fodder for the horses, on which occasions he 
assumed an air of gravity that was highly amusing, show- 
ing that he was deeply impressed with the importance 
and responsibility of the service entrusted to him. Being 
sometimes permitted to enter the dining-room, and 
helped to fruit at desert, he at last learned his way to the 
side-board ; and on more than one occasion having stolen 
in, during the absence of the servants, he made a clear 
sweep of the wine-glasses and china in his endeavours to 
reach a basket of oranges. For these and similar pranks 
we were at last forced to put him away. He was sent to 
the Government stud, where he was affectionately re- 
ceived and adopted by Siribeddi, and he now takes his 
turn of public duty in the department of the Commis- 
sioner of Eoads. 
