156 
THE STORY OF THE ELEPHANT. 
struck the elephant on the foot nine times to indicate the number of days 
he would be absent. During the nine days the elephant performed his regu¬ 
lar duties under the guidance of another keeper, but when the master failed 
to return on the tenth day, Moti Guj rebelled and refused to work. Not only 
did he absolutely refuse to perform his regular duties, but he went among 
the other elephants and induced them to go on a strike. There was a general 
revolt, and the police elephants, which are kept on all the large Indian planta¬ 
tions for the purpose of chastising unruly members of the band, were sent out 
to subdue the leader of the rebels. But Moti Guj showed fight and he finally 
overpowered and drove back the police. The herd was on a rampage the re¬ 
mainder of the day, but the following morning the keeper returned and Moti 
Guj was set to doing hard tasks. He accepted the situation cheerfully. 
During one of the wars in India I had an opportunity of observing one of 
the elephants that had received a flesh wound from a cannon-ball. After hav¬ 
ing been two or three times conducted to the hospital, he always used to go 
alone to have his wound dressed. 
The domesticated elephant is largely employed in India for the transport of 
heavy camp-equipage, for dragging timber to the rivers, and in lieu of horses 
for artillery; and is of especial value in traversing districts where roads are 
either wanting, or are so bad as to be impassable for other animals when 
laden. Elephants may be employed either as beasts of burden or of draught. 
In dragging timber of moderate dimensions, a short rope is attached to one 
end of each log, which the elephant seizes between his teeth, and thus raising 
his burden from the ground, half carries and half drags it away. Tuskers are 
both stronger and more useful than females, since their tusks often aid them 
in the performance of their duties. 
The majority of the animals employed in tasks like the above, belong to 
what the natives term the inferior castes; tuskers of the finest and most ap¬ 
proved form being far too expensive to be put to such uses. The majority 
of such animals are, indeed, purchased by the native princes, by whom they 
are used in state pageants, and the taller the animal, the greater his value. 
In India these animals were formerly employed in the launching of ships. 
An elephant was directed to force a very large vessel into the water; but the 
work proved superior to his strength. His master, in a sarcastic tone, bade 
the keeper take away this lazy beast, and bring another. The poor animal 
instantly repeated his efforts, fractured his skull, and died on the spot. 
A story is related of an elephant having formed such an attachment for 
a very young child, that he was never happy but when the child was near 
