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Our Little German Band (Pass It appeared impossible)
pass. It appeared impossible for his Ele- ing to slacken his pace, and without havphant to do otherwise than tread upon ing received any command for that purand crush many of these poor wretches, pose, assisted them with his trunk, reunless the prince would stop till the way moved some, set others on their feet, and stepped over the rest with so much ad- A sentinel belonging to the present áress and assiduity, that not one person menagerie at Paris, was always very carewas wounded. An Asiatic prince and his ful in requesting the spectators not to slaves were deaf to the cries of nature, give the Elephants anything to eat. while the heart of the beast relented; he, This conduct particularly displeased the more worthy than his rider, heard and female, who beheld him with a very obeyed the calls of humanity. unfavorable eye, and several times endeavored to correct his interference, by A Child's Large Nurse.
The following instance of the sagacity sprinkling his head with water from her of these animals was mentioned to Dr. trunk. One day, when several persons Darwin, by a gentleman of undoubted were collected to view these animals, a veracity, who has been much conversant bystander offered the female a bit of with our Eastern settlements. The Ele- bread. The sentinel perceived it; but phants that are employed in carrying the the moment he opened his mouth to give baggage of the armies, are put each his usual admonition, she, placing herself under the care of one of the natives of immediately before him, discharged in his Indostan; and while this person and his face a considerable stream of water. A wife go into the woods to collect leaves general laugh ensued; but the sentinel, and branches of trees for his food, they having calmly wiped his face, stood a fix him to the ground by a long chain, and little to one side, and continued as vigifrequently leave a child, yet unable to lant as before. Soon afterwards, he found walk, under his protection; and the intel- himself under the necessity of repeating ligent animal not only defends it, but, as his admonition to the spectators; but no it creeps about, when it arrives near the sooner was this uttered than the female extremity of his chain, he wraps his trunk laid hold of his musket, twirled it round gently round its body, and brings it again with her trunk, trod it under her feet, and into the centre of his circle. Elephant- did not restore it till she had twisted it hunting has always been a favorite sport nearly into the form of a screw. in India. The native princes are fond of it, and the English residents not less so.
It is rather a dangerous sport.
Many other instances are related of the sagacity of the Elephant.
The wife of the keeper of an Elephant In the "Philosophical Transactions," a was in the habit of giving her baby in story is related of an Elephant having charge to the animal while she went out formed such an attachment for a very on business. The child, which, like most young child, that he was never happy but children, did not like to lie still in one when the child was near him. The nurse position, would, as soon as left to itself, frequently took it in its cradle, and placed begin to crawl about; in which exercise it between his feet. This he at length it would probably get among the legs of became so much accustomed to, that he the animal, or entangled in the branches would never eat his food except it was of the trees on which he was feeding; present. When the child slepť, he would when the Elephant would, in the most drive off the flies with his proboscis; and tender manner, disengage his charge, when it cried, would move the cradle either by lifting it out of the way with backward and forward, and thus rock it his trunk, or by removing whatever hinagain to sleep. dered its free progress. If the child had