446 THE ELEPHANT'S TUSK. ' 21, 22 July, 
the manner of making such a house, that when I returned to my 
own country, I might build one exactly like it for myself. As I 
stood within this front-court, surrounded by the family and neigh 
hours, all happy, as they really appeared to be, in being visited by a 
white-man who took an interest in the work of their hands anci 
admired their ingenuity, I felt the secret influence of sympathy, and 
enjoyed the counterpart of their pleasure and gratification. 
Kramori, who was a man of about forty years of age and of a 
fine well-proportioned figure, took much pains in showing me the 
different parts of his dwelling ; and when I had sufficiently examined 
it, he brought me a gourd-shell full of thick-milk, a most agreeable 
refreshment after walking in the mid-day heat. When I had taken 
a small portion, I gave the rest to Muchunka and Champaani, who 
almost in an instant greedily devoured it up. 
The elephaiifs tusk in question was dragged out of the store- 
house to tempt me, but I did not purchase it. I lifted it up in my 
arms, to enable me to form a guess at the weight of it, which I con- 
cluded to be between eighty and ninety pounds. When the natives 
saw me heaving it up and down with apparent ease, they seemed 
greatly surprised, and considered me to be a person of extraordinary 
strength ; and to some of their friends, who came in afterwards I ob- 
served them explaining the circumstance by making the same motion 
with a tsdmma laid across their arms. This circumstance is mentioned 
for the purpose of proving a fact, which subsequent observation 
further confirmed, that the Bachapins are in general, men of little 
muscular strength, excepting, perhaps, in the Achilles-tendon and 
muscles connected with its use : at the same time, it showed that con- 
tinual labor and bodily exertion, if not carried too far, will greatly 
increase that strength. Desirous of gaining, among these people, the 
character of being munond tatddio (a strong man), I confess that in 
this instance I exerted my utmost force with a view to induce them 
to suppose that the tusk was, to my hand, comparatively light; for 
as I knew that, guided by outward appearances, they judged them- 
selves to be my superiors in muscular power, I regarded it as an 
