IV 
THE ELEPHANT 
137 
bull, boar, and the park-fed stag are all uncertain in 
their tempers and may be pronounced unsafe ; but 
the male elephant, although dangerous to a stranger 
and treacherous to his attendants, combines an 
extraordinary degree of cowardice with his natural 
ferocity. A few months ago I witnessed a curious 
example of this combination in the elephant s char¬ 
acter. A magnificent specimen had been lent to me 
by the Commissariat Department at Jubbulpur ; this 
was a high caste bull elephant named Bisgaum that 
was well known as bad-tempered, but was supposed 
to be courageous. He had somewhat tarnished 
his reputation during the last season by turning tail 
upon a tiger that rushed out of dense bush and killed 
a coolie within a few yards of his trunk ; but this 
momentary panic was excused, and the blame was 
thrown upon the mahout. The man was dismissed, 
and a hrst-rate Punjaubi driver was appointed in his 
stead. This man assured me that the elephant was 
dependable; I accordingly accepted him, and he 
was ordered to carry the howdah throughout the 
expedition. 
In a very short experience we discovered the 
necessity of giving Bisgaum a wide berth, as he 
would fling out his trunk with extreme quickness to 
strike a person within his reach, and he would kick 
out sharply with his hind leg whenever a native 
ventured to approach his rear. He took a fancy to 
me, as I fed him daily with sugar-canes, jaggery, and 
native chupatties (cakes), which quickly established 
an understanding between us ; but I always took the 
