Olla Podrida | Page 9

hang them
over their backs down on each side, and having thus made their
provision, they return home; the keeper may or may not be present
during this performance. All depends upon whether the elephants are
well trained, and have been long in servitude. Upon their return, the
elephants pass the chains again round their legs, lock the padlock, and
present the key as before; they then amuse themselves with their repast,

eating all the leaves and tender shoots, and rejecting the others. Now
when an elephant has had enough to eat, he generally selects a long
bough, and pulling off all the lateral branches, leaves a bush at the end
forming a sort of whisk to keep off the flies and mosquitoes; for
although the hide of the elephant is very thick, still it is broken into
crannies and cracks, into which the vermin insert themselves.
Sometimes they have the following ingenious method of defending
themselves against these tormentors--they put the end of their trunk
down in the dust, draw up as large a quantity as they can, and turning
their trunks over their heads, pour it out over their skin, powdering and
filling up the interstices, after which they take the long branch I have
before mentioned, and amuse themselves by flapping it right and left,
and in all directions about their bodies, wherever the insects may settle.
And now for an instance of self-denial, which I have often witnessed on
the part of my friend the large elephant. I have observed him very busy,
flapping right and flapping left, evidently much annoyed by the
persecution of the mosquitoes; by-the-by, no one can have an idea how
hard the tiger-mosquito can bite. I will, however, give an instance of it,
for the truth of which I cannot positively vouch; but I remember that
once, when it rained torrents, and we were on a boating expedition, a
marine who, to keep his charge dry, had his fore-finger inserted in the
barrel of his musket, pulled it out in a great hurry, exclaiming to his
comrade, "May I be shot, Bill, if one of them beggars ha'n't bit me right
through the barrel of my musket." This par parenthese, and now to
proceed. As I said before, the elephant showed, by constant flagellation
of his person, that he was much annoyed by his persecutors, and just at
that time, the keeper brought a little naked black thing, as round as a
ball, which in India I believe they call a child, laid it down before the
animal with two words in Hindostanee--"Watch it!" and then walked
away into the town. The elephant immediately broke off the larger part
of the bough, so as to make a smaller and more convenient whisk, and
directed his whole attention to the child, gently fanning the little lump
of Indian ink, and driving away every mosquito which came near it;
this he continued for upwards of two hours regardless of himself, until
the keeper returned. It was really a beautiful sight, and causing much
reflection. Here was a monster, whose bulk exceeded that of the infant

by at least two thousand times, acknowledging that the image of his
Maker, even in its lowest degree of perfection, was divine; silently
proving the truth of the sacred announcement, that God had "given to
man dominion over the beasts of the field." And here, too, was a brute
animal setting an example of devotion and self-denial, which but few
Christians, none indeed but a mother, could have practised. Would
Fowell Buxton, surrounded by a host of mosquitoes, have done as
much for a fellow-creature, white or black? not he; he would have
flapped his own thighs, his own ears, his own face, and his own every
thing, and have left his neighbours to take care of themselves; nor
would I blame him.
As I am on the subject, I may as well inform my readers how and in
which way this elephant and I parted company, for it was equally
characteristic of the animal. The army was ordered to march, and the
elephants were called into requisition to carry the tents. The
quarter-master general, the man with four eyes, as the natives called
him, because he wore spectacles, superintended the loading of the
animals--tent upon tent was heaped upon my friend, who said nothing,
till at last he found that they were overdoing the thing, and then he
roared out his complaints, which the keeper explained; but there was
still one more tent to be carried, and, therefore, as one more or less
could make no difference, it was ordered to be put upon his back. The
elephant said no more, but he turned sulky. Enough was as good as a
feast with him, and he considered this treatment