148 ELEPHANT LIFE IN ENGLAND 
tale of the elephant dance, when the animal holds the 
mahout’s son aloft in its trunk. “Was it to help 
thee to steal green corn from the roof when the ears 
are put out to dry?” “Not green corn, Protector of 
the Poor — melons,” says little Toomai. 
In England the elephant is not an accomplice, but 
helps himself freely in the back streets of the towns, 
up which he is usually taken, to avoid difficulties with 
the urban police. He has ever a sharp eye for an 
open window or door, and many a batch of new 
loaves smoking on the dresser or bunch of vegetables 
intended for the mid-day dinner, is extracted through 
the window, before the good woman, who is admiring 
the procession at the door, has time to rush back to 
the rescue. At Sanger’s repository last year a fine 
gilded car came back for repairs. The body of the 
car had been filled with loaves of bread on Saturday 
night and then locked up. An elephant smelt the 
bread, and not being able to open the lock, turned the 
whole car over to see if it would open in that way, to 
the serious damage of the ornamental upper works. 
The clever picture of the “ Disputed Toll,” by 
Charlton Adams, in which an elephant is painted 
breaking open a turnpike-gate, records an amusing 
incident of elephant travel which occurred many years 
ago outside the pretty little town of Sidmouth in 
South Devon. Van Ambrugh’s show was expected, 
and the turnpike keeper locked the gate and de- 
manded toll, not only for the cars but for the animals. 
The elephant was leading the way, and after much 
