_The Elephant--Differences between Indian and African Elephants--The
Begging Elephant of Willenoor--Recognition of a Friend--What the
Elephant Enjoys--Elephant Working a Pump--One that Served as a Nursemaid
to Children--Madame Duphot's Pet, Nirjara--The Elephant who Remembered
an Injury--How Wild Elephants are Caught--Tame Elephants used
for Hunting Wild Ones--Manjari and what he did--Securing the
Captives--Driving a Herd into a Keddali--Laws against Killing
Elephants--The Sagacity of a Young Elephant in Robbing a Garden._
We will go at once from a small animal to a large one,” said Mr. Graham
at their next conversation about the intelligence of quadrupeds.
“And not only to a large one but to the largest four-footed animal in
existence.”
“That must be the elephant,” said Charley, “as he is conceded to be the
largest land animal in the world.”
“Yes,” replied the gentleman, “and what can you tell me about him?”
“He belongs to the order of _Pachydermata_ and the section
_Proboscidean_,” the youth answered, “and his ordinary height at the
shoulder is about eight feet, though there are many elephants that
exceed ten feet. He is very bulky in proportion to his height and
length, the weight of a large elephant being about five tons. He can
sleep standing and often does so, but it is incorrect to suppose, as
some people do, that he cannot lie down on account of the shortness and
stiffness of his legs. He is very sure-footed and can go up and down
steep hills and mountains with very little trouble.”
“Quite correctly stated,” said Mr. Graham as Charley paused. Then
turning to George he asked how many kinds of elephants there are in the
world.
[Illustration: 0121]
“There are only two distinct species now living,” said George, “and they
are known as the Indian and the African elephants. Some differences
have been found between the Sumatran elephant and the Indian one but the
naturalists are not agreed as to whether the Sumatran should be classed
as a distinct species.”
“Evidently you have been reading up the subject of elephants,” said Mr.
Graham with a smile, “as I did not expect to find you so well informed.
But I have brought you something which probably you have not seen, and
it may combine instruction with amusement as it has much to do with
elephants.”
Thereupon Mr. Graham took from the table a book which he explained was
written by Louis Jacolliott, a French gentleman who lived many years
in India and devoted much time and observation to the elephant. “I have
marked several passages in the volume,” said lie, “and you may read them
aloud in English, partly for practice in translating from French
but mainly for the edification of Mr. Webb and Henry as well as of
yourselves.”
Charley was first called upon to translate from the marked passages,
which he did as follows:
“The most curious and interesting animal which I have met,” says M.
Jacolliott, “is the elephant. Not the elephant of the menageries, broken
in spirit and submissive, but the elephant as he is found in his native
country. Some instances of his aptitude and intelligence are marvellous.
“A few leagues from Pondichery stands a pagoda called Willenoor, which,
at the grand feasts of May, receives a multitude of five or six hundred
thousand pilgrims, coming from all parts of India. A number of sacred
elephants are attached to this pagoda, and among them is a mendicant,
or begging elephant. Twice each week this elephant, accompanied by
his driver, goes to the villages and to Pondichery to beg alms for the
priests of Willenoor.
“Many times, working beneath the veranda, closed in by curtains on the
first story of my house, I have seen him lift the movable curtain with
his great trunk and balance himself to ask me for a piece of small coin,
which he sucked from my hand to his trunk, a distance of more than
three inches. I never failed to give him a small piece of money for
the pagoda, and for himself a loaf of bread which my servant dipped in
molasses, of which the elephant was very fond. In a short time we became
very friendly. He had seen me only in undress, that is, in the light
silk garments of the country, and then, only across the little pillars
of the balcony of my cottage.
“One day I had occasion to go to Willenoor on business. I arrived at
noon; the sun was burning the earth; no one was seen in the streets or
on the verandas; every one was resting.
“My carriage had stopped under a mango-tree in the principal square, and
I was about to start for the house of the thasildar, or governor of the
village, when all at once a monstrous black elephant came running out of
the pagoda which was opposite. He arrived in front of us and, before I
had time to collect my senses, he lifted me up, placed me on his neck
and started at full speed for the pagoda; he carried me across the
first enclosure, in which was the great well for bathing, and brought me
direct to the elephant quarters.
“Once there, he placed me on the ground in the center of all his
companions; it was the begging elephant; he had recognized me. He
uttered short cries, lifting his trunk and waving his ears, which his
friends doubtless interpreted to my advantage, for when the thasildar,
followed by the priests of the temple, came out to seek the cause of
this strange demonstration, they found me calm, and recovered from my
surprise, in the midst of these enormous beasts who were tendering an
ovation in my behalf.
“'This is most remarkable,' said one of the priests, 'I have never seen
them act so friendly toward any one.'
“I related to him the circumstances of my gifts to the begging elephant.
“'I am no longer surprised,' he answered, 'he has already recounted it
to the whole band and the gourmands are paying you these attentions in
hope of attaining the same reward.'
“'Is it possible?' I said with amazement.
“'I am perfectly sure of it. Do you wish to see the proof? Pass your
arm around the trunk of your elephant friend and make him understand by
signs that you wish him to go out with you; they will all follow you.
Allow yourself to be led and you will see where they will bring you.'
[Illustration: 0124]
[Illustration: 0125]
“The priest with whom I had already spoken, and who was a professor of
philosophy at the temple of Willenoor, told me that from time to time
the begging elephant managed to escape from them, and wandered as far as
Pondichéry to beg on his own account. Knowing perfectly the market where
he obtained the provisions on his expeditions, he would go there, place
the money he had collected upon the table of a fruit merchant, and eat
as many pineapples, bananas, mangoes and as much sugar-cane and arrack
as the Hindoo would allow him for the money.
[Illustration: 0125]
“'I followed his instructions; the begging elephant and I took up the
lead, the nine others joined in the pace, uttering cries of contentment
among themselves. We passed through the gate of the pagoda and they led
me directly to the shop of a native baker. I would have been utterly
astounded had I not already known the wonderful intelligence of these
animals. At the shop my duty was readily understood and I presented
to each one a loaf of bread, covered with the precious molasses syrup,
which is their greatest delicacy.
“The following instance occurred before my own eyes:
“Every one knows that the elephant can be trained to do all kinds of
work. While I have no hesitation about relating instances bearing on
this statement, I prefer to tell of occurrences which indicate an actual
reasoning power in the animal.
“It is customary in the settlements to water the cattle from large
wooden buckets filled with water pumped from a well. This is done that
they may not drink the water of the reservoirs, which is stagnant and
unwholesome. Ordinarily the pumping is done at early morning by one of
the elephants, the work taking nearly an hour. Accustomed to the task,
he does not wait to be ordered, and every morning, an hour before
sunrise he is at his labor with the precision of a living alarm-clock.
“I was staying once at Trichinopoly, at the house of a friend of mine,
a merchant, who owned a grand villa a few leagues outside the city. The
sun was rising and my servant had just awakened me for my bath. Passing
through the yard I saw a large white elephant working at the pump. He
closed his eyes sadly and was apparently trying to turn his thoughts
from his wearisome labor. He saluted my presence with a joyful flapping
of his ears, for during the two days since my arrival I had given him
many dainties, but he did not cease from his work, which had to be
finished.
“I was stroking him with my hand in passing, when I noticed that one
of the two planks which supported the bucket on either side had fallen
away. It thus happened that the bucket, being upheld on one side only,
spilled its contents without a possibility of being filled.
“The elephant did not think that his work was ended because one side of
the bucket was filled: nor did he attempt the impossible feat of trying
to fill the other side until both sides were even. In a few minutes the
water commenced to run from the lower side of the bucket, and the animal
began to show signs of uneasiness; nevertheless he continued to pump.
Soon, however, he dropped the handle and drew nearer to observe the
cause of the trouble. He returned to the pump three times, each time
coming back to examine the bucket. I awaited the end of this strange
scene with unflagging interest. All at once a waving of the ears seemed
to indicate that an idea had occurred to him.
“He came over to lift up the plank that had fallen away, and for a
moment I thought that he intended to put it back in its place under the
lower side of the bucket. But he was not troubled about the lower side,
which was already tilled with water; it was the other side which annoyed
him. Lifting the bucket carefully, he supported it for a moment with
one of his great feet, while with his trunk he pulled out the second
plank, and placed the bucket on solid earth, thus making it even on all
sides. This done, the labor of filling it was easy.
[Illustration: 0127]
“The elephant is much attached to the women and children in the
villages, and it would be dangerous for a stranger to make even an
unfriendly gesture in the presence of this animal.
“It is a remarkable sight to see him guard his master's children in
their promenades; he watches everything; beasts, serpents, turf-pits and
swamps, in fact, any danger which may be imagined, is overcome by his
presence. His pace is regulated by that of the children, and he attends
them, gathering flowers, fruit from the trees, and sugar-canes; at a
motion from one of them he will break a tree-branch if one desires
to make a whip or cane. At the slightest noise which he does not
understand, if he sees a jackall or a hyena in the distant thicket,
he instantly gathers his brood under his trunk, commences to roar with
rage, and anything, lion, tiger or man which threatens harm to his
charges, is in danger of being dashed to the ground.
“In the lowlands of the Ganges, a swampy country covered with jungles
and rice-fields, the royal Bengal tiger is found of great size and
ferocity. The combats between this terrible beast and the elephant,
guarding the cattle, servants or children of his master, are of almost
daily occurrence. The royal Bengal tiger is so fierce that he never
refuses to fight his adversary, although the end of the combat generally
finds him crushed to death under the feet of his terrible enemy. In
spite of the fact that the elephant is an unpitying foe in his battles
with the tiger, bear or rhinoceros, he never molests the smaller,
inoffensive animals. No matter what power a keeper may have over him, it
is impossible to make him crush an insect.
“There is a little insect which children in Prance call '_les betes a
bon Dieu_'; the same insect is found in India, but growing to a size
twice as large as in France. I have often seen one of these little
creatures placed on a level surface, in the troughs of a yard, for
instance; I have seen the elephant ordered to crush the insect, but
never, for master or driver, would he lift his foot above it in passing
by, evidently avoiding any opportunity to do harm. If, on the contrary,
he is commanded to bring it to you, he will pick it up delicately with
his trunk, and place it in your hands without bruising its wings.
“Nirjara, Madame Duphot's favorite elephant, was an admirable animal. He
was a white elephant, which is the most intelligent of all the elephant
race. About twenty-five years old, he possessed all the power of youth
and infancy, for, in the elephant, the full strength is not reached
until they have passed fifty years. Nirjara was not born in the
settlements. He was captured in a wild state by the elephants employed
for the purpose, and was presented as a gift to his mistress. As soon
as he had accustomed himself to his new surroundings, without a hope
of returning to the free life of the mountains, he had been made the
guardian of Madame Duphot's two young children, and the companion of all
their sports and journeys. Even in the ordinary walks and rides she
made use of the 'howdah' carried by Nirjara, in preference to her own
carriage.
“This fine animal, having no other task, was entirely free to go and
come as he desired, but he seldom strayed beyond the sound of Madame's
whistle. He was devoted to her, and always hastened to answer the
slightest call. I have often seen him standing a few paces from the
veranda, following with his eye the movements of his mistress for hours
at a time. I believe he would have slain the entire household at a word
from her. Every day as a part of his food of fresh grass, she used
to prepare for him an eight-pound loaf of bread, made of rice and
maize-flour dipped in the juice of sugar-cane. This she gave to him with
her own hands. His drink was composed of water in which sugarcane had
been crushed, and in warm weather she frequently added to this a measure
of wine flavored with plenty of cinnamon and cloves. Her feeling
of security in the journeys made under his protection is easily
understood.”
Here Charley paused at a signal from Mr. Graham and the book was handed
to George. The latter remarked that he had never before heard of an
elephant being regularly employed as a nursemaid, though he had read of
the great fondness which he has for children.
“Many anecdotes are told of this peculiarity of the elephant,” said Mr.
Graham, “and he seems to remember kindness quite as much as the dog
or any other quadruped. He can also remember injuries or insults, even
though years may have passed since they occurred.”
[Illustration: 0130]
“I have read,” said Charley, “of a tailor at Acheen who was in front
of his shop one day when an elephant put his trunk in and begged for
something. Instead of giving him anything the man pricked the creature's
trunk with a needle and the elephant turned and went away. A long
time afterward the same elephant was in the neighborhood, and as he
approached the shop he filled his trunk with water from a trough, and
then watched his chance to eject it upon the man who had offended him.”
[Illustration: 0131]
“That story is in one of the books on the sagacity of animals,” Mr.
Graham answered. Then, turning to George, he said they would now
listen to something from M. Jacolliott about the mode of catching wild
elephants in India and Ceylon.
Thereupon George read as follows:
“Mounted on well trained elephants, the ordinary dangers of hunting are
readily comprehended and foreseen; the intelligence of these splendid
animals is sufficient to inspire confidence. Nevertheless, grave
accidents may arise. When the elephant becomes enraged in his pursuit
of a tiger, it sometimes happens that he listens to no voice whatever,
dashing madly onward until the 'howdah,' in which the hunter is
enclosed, is broken in pieces against a huge tree, branch, or other
obstacle.
“It is extraordinary, in hunting wild elephants, that the trained
beasts, once on the field, have no other guide than their own
instincts. At the first sight of a human form the hunted animal retreats
immediately to the thicket, where pursuit is very likely to end in a
catastrophe to the pursuers; or, the wild elephants, sometimes being
assembled in force, will turn courageously to give battle to the trained
animals, of which battle the result can never be foreseen.
“In these expeditions, the slightest carelessness will sometimes reveal
the lurking-place of the hunters; the chase is only undertaken with
twice as many trained elephants as there are wild ones to be captured,
and then only when it has been ascertained by trustworthy scouts that
there are no large troops of elephants within a circle of forty or fifty
miles. The utmost care is used in this respect. When there is no other
way, the Hindoos who make a profession of elephant-hunting sometimes
attack with an inferior force, but the European, who follows the chase
for pleasure, does not fail to take all necessary precautions.”
“The following is an account of one of these hunts:
“The last commands had hardly been given to Manjari, the chief elephant,
by his master, when he started, at the head of his little troop, to
descend the hill on the opposite side to that by which we had ascended;
he marched slowly, giving no evidence of his intention to rejoin the
party which he was leaving behind. The intelligent animal played his
part to perfection; he moved slowly, with his companions, toward the
stream which wound through the depth of the ravine, as if he intended to
slake his thirst at the water. On his way down he stopped here and there
to break a tree branch or to pick up a bunch of grass, which he lazily
deposited in his mouth.
“The wild elephants, resting in the valley, gazed on Manjari and his
troop with curiosity but without, alarm; every movement proved that they
had no suspicion of the intentions of the new-comers.
“Suddenly we witnessed a remarkable sight. A young elephant, which was
in the wild herd with its mother, seeing Manjari and his companions
advancing slowly, bounded toward them to make acquaintance with the
strangers.
[Illustration: 0133]
The young animal was recalled two or three times by its mother, but she,
seeing that no attention was paid to her calls, continued her watching
from a distance wondering, without doubt, at the welcome extended to her
little one. The old elephant Manjari received the little wanderer with
cries of joy and marks of tenderness which were too well feigned to
arouse suspicion. When, however, the first reception was over, Manjari
gave a signal and two elephants placed themselves, one on each side of
the young one, and he was a captive.
[Illustration: 0134]
“They marched to the banks of the stream and drank eagerly; then,
without the slightest hesitation, they directed their way toward the
two wild elephants who were to be brought back as prisoners. The young
elephant seemed overjoyed to see its new friends going toward the place
where its mother was lying. She answered its cries, without an idea of
the danger which was impending. Her companion was gathering here and
there tufts of grass, and devouring the young buds of the trees.
“They were surrounded in a very short time, and when they realized that
they had to deal with enemies, it was too late to fly; each one had been
caught by its trunk by two of the animals under Manjari and opposition
and resistance were alike vain. After a few struggles they seemed to
understand their position and they commenced to fill the forest with
roars and cries of despair.
“Four more trained elephants were now turned loose and they immediately
joined their troop; they were not needed, however, as two of the trained
elephants could easily lead a wild one, but their presence served to
remove the last faint hope of escape for the captured animals. All this
was accomplished easily, without any visible resistance. In a moment
their trunks were seized, all power of defence was taken away, and the
captives were pressed on each side with such terrible force by their
captors, that they seemed to understand instinctively the futility of
resistance.
“When the first attempt was made to force them to walk, they made
a supreme effort to remain, but a shower of blows from the trunk of
Manjari decided their movements in a short space of time. When the poor
brutes saw our party, they were terror-stricken and trembled violently;
our weak appearance evidently produced a greater effect on their
imagination, than did that of their captors.
“In a little time, a hunter crept behind each of them, and having given
orders to have them held firmly, bound their hind feet with chains of
special strength. From this moment a single elephant easily guarded
them; they could only march slowly, and a child could have escaped them.
Nothing now remained but to train them, and to make them forget, by kind
and gentle treatment, their early life and the great forests in which
they were born.
“Ordinarily it is possible to approach a captured elephant at the end of
three days; on the eighth day the chains are taken off, and when a month
has passed by the animal will go about quietly with the trained ones,
imitating their actions, and offering to take part in their work.
Indeed, it sometimes happens that, a few hours after the hunt is over,
captors and captives are on the best of terms with each other, and the
latter are set free by the Hindoo banters on the third or fourth day.
[Illustration: 0136]
“When the elephant has tasted the delights of civilized life, he never
returns to the jungle except to hunt, in his turn, his own fellows, and
in this pursuit he displays as much cunning as the older ones did in
capturing him.”
“Another mode of hunting elephants,” said Mr. Webb, “is by driving them
into a keddah or corral. A strong yard is built with trunks of trees set
in the ground like posts about two feet apart so that men can easily go
in and out but elephants cannot pass.
[Illustration: 0137]
From the entrance of the yard two fences enclosing a space shaped like a
'V' are extended several miles and the herd of wild elephants is driven
so that it will come into the space enclosed by the 'V' Until they are
within the jaws of the fences the driving is done very quietly so as
not to alarm the animals and put them to flight, but when they are once
inside of it, all silence comes to an end, and the hunters make as much
noise as possible with guns, drums and other instruments. This frightens
the elephants and they rush pell-mell into the keddah, where they are
made prisoners.”
George asked if the elephants were killed when caught or were simply
made prisoners.
“No elephants are wantonly killed nowadays in India and Ceylon,” said
Mr. Webb, “with the exception of those that are actually dangerous on
account of their vices. There are stringent laws against shooting an
elephant, the animal being under government protection, and whenever a
herd is driven into a keddah the officials select as many as are wanted
for use and allow the rest to return to the forest. In the early part of
this century the government gave a bounty in Ceylon for the slaughter of
elephants and great numbers were killed by hunters. The mistake in the
policy was not discovered until the animals became very scarce, when the
laws were reversed. Instead of paying now to have elephants killed the
government protects them by making it a serious offence to shoot one.”
“But the case is different in Africa,” said the gentleman. “The African
elephant is not domesticated at present, or very rarely so, though he
seems to have been in ancient times if we may judge by history. The
famous Jumbo was an African elephant; you remember that his ears were
about three times as large as those of an ordinary elephant, and this is
the principal feature which distinguishes one kind from the other. The
African is not as docile as the Asiatic elephant; he is hunted for his
ivory and for his flesh, which is eagerly devoured by the natives. He
is shot, speared, driven into pit-falls, and otherwise taken, and his
numbers are said to be diminishing rapidly. By the end of the century,
at the rate the destruction is going on, there will not be many African
elephants remaining.”
George asked about, the mammoth which formerly lived in Siberia, and
whose remains are occasionally found at the present time where they have
lain for thousands of years imbedded in the frozen earth. Mr. Graham
told him that the mammoth was a member of the elephant family, and his
body was covered with thick fur or long hair to protect it from the
cold. Of the few specimens that have been found the tusks were longer
than those of the elephant and greatly curved; the skele were trimmed
into the required shape for telegraph poles; a number of them being
piled at intervals along the track.
[Illustration: 0140]
“Then the elephants were sent to carry the poles to the distances they
were to be set apart. I saw one mahout conduct his elephant to-a pile
of these heavy poles and tell the intelligent animal to pick one up. He
then, with a long wand he had for the purpose, measured off the distance
and accompanied the elephant, who carried the pole to the place the
mahout indicated. Then I saw the mahout tell the elephant to go to the
pile and place them in line along the track, at the ton of one is in
the museum at St. Petersburg, and portions of the hair and skin are
preserved with it.
[Illustration: 0139]
Returning to the subject of the intelligence of the elephant, Mr.
Grahani read the following from the pen of an American traveler in
Burmah, who tells how the elephant was employed in building a telegraph
line:
“First a track was made by felling all timber and clearing off any
undergrowth, etc., to about twenty feet in width, hundreds of men being
employed. Such trees as were suitable in length and otherwise same
distance apart as the one he had measured. The man then lay down under
a tree and went to sleep. In the meantime the noble animal took up each
piece of timber, and carried it to its proper place in the line. I felt
so interested that I stayed to witness the whole proceeding. I measured
the distance by pacing and found them all to be equal in length and
correctly placed like the first one. The beast then went to his mahout
and gently touched him with the tip of his trunk and awoke him, as much
as to say, 'All is finished, master, according to your orders.' The
mahout awoke, mounted the elephant, and went forward to continue the
line in the same easy and agreeable manner.”
[Illustration: 0141]
The same writer says:--
“The young elephants are made pets of and not allowed to work until
fully grown. That they are not deficient in understanding, even at
an early age, the following anecdote will prove:--The commissioner at
Shweygheen had a young elephant, quite a baby, given him by a Burmese
gentleman, and the lively intelligent beast afforded much amusement to
his owner and all who knew him.
“The youngster could do everything but speak. He was kept in a stable
in the garden, specially made for him, the sides being composed of stout
planks instead of the usual wattled split bamboo. The heavy teak door
was fastened on the outside by a sliding bar of the same wood, running
in iron staples. The paths and walks through the garden were made of
ground rolled and pressed to the hardness of a macadamized road.
“Shortly after the young elephant's arrival and installation in his
stable, the garden was found one morning to have been robbed during' the
night, the mangoes especially suffering, a quantity of the best fruit
having been taken. No traces were left by the thief or thieves, there
were no footprints on the soft ground outside, nothing to indicate how
an entrance had been made into the garden. This went on for several
nights, and at last it was discovered that the young elephant was the
thief. He used to raise the edge of the roof so as to put out his trank
and slide the bolt; then there was no obstacle to prevent opening the
door, and he opened it and went into the garden. After regaling himself
on the fruit he returned to the stable, closed the door, slid the bolt
into its place, let the edge of the roof fall to its proper position,
and thus made it impossible for any one to know he had been out.”
[Illustration: 5142]