The Litchfield County post., 1826-07-11
ELEPHANTS


 Denham in his Travels in Africa, " "Maramy came galloping up, saying that he had found three very large elephants grazing to the south l-cast, close to the water. hen we came within few hundred yards of them, all the persons on foot, and my servant on a mule, were ordered to halt, while four of us who were ylfpnnted, rode up to these stupen- doHs animals.
 ''The sheikh's people began screaching vii Olently, and althoughathey at first appeared to treat our approach with great contempt, yet, aftera little they moved off, erecting their ears, which had until then hung flat on their sh0ulders, and giving roar that shook the ground under us. One was an immense fell low, should suppose l6 feet high; the other two were females, and moved away rather quickly, while the male kept in the rear, as if to guard their retreat. We wheeled swiftly round him, and Maramy casting spear at him, which struck him just under the tail,and seemed to give him about as much pain as when we prick our finger with pin, the huge beast threw up his proboscis in the air with a loud roar, and from it cast such volume of sand, that unprepared as was for such an event, nearly blinded me. The elephant rare- ly if ever, attacks, and it is only whenirrtated that he is dangerous; but he will sometimes run upon a man and horse, after checking them with dust, and destroy them in an in stant. 4
 "As we had cut him off from following his companions, he took the direction lead- ing to where we hasI left the mule, and the l footmcn.s They quickly fled in all direc-
 tions, and my man c Columbus, (the mule
 not being inclined to increase it's pacel was SO alarmed, that he did not get the better . of it for the whole day. We pressed the elephant now very close, riding before, be- i hind, and on each side of him and his . look sometimes, as he turned his head, had the effect of checking instantly the speed of my horse-his pace never exceeded a
 clumsy rolling walk, but was sufficient to , keep our horses at a short gallop. I gave , him q ball from each barrel of my gun, at i about 90 yards distance, and the second, s which struck hisaear, seemed to give him a \ moments uneasiness only; but the first, | which struck him on the body, iailed in $ making the least impression, Afer giving : : him another'spear, which flew off his tough v hide without exciting the least sensation : we left him to his fate.
 News was soon broughtsus that ei3IR i elephants wero at no great dislnnce, and N coming towards us 1t was thought prudent to chase them away, aud we all mounted ! |aor that purpose. They appeared unwil. i ling to go, and did not even, turn tlieil backs until We werc quite close and had s thrown several spears at them; the flashes ;; from the pan of the gun, however, appear n cd to alarm them moro than any thing;
 iheyretrea'ed very majestically first throw : ing out, as before, a quantity of sand. A t number of the birds, here called tuda, were s perched on tho backs of the elephants. = e These resembled a thrush in shape and IT note, and were represented to me as being Q extremely useful to the elephant, in picking \ off the verinin from those parts which it is z not in luis power to reach. a~- 'f 10th February.---" this morning wen, e to the eastward, in order if possible, to ge, a sight ofthe herd of upwards of l5O eIe. e phants which some of the Arabs had seer l. the day before, while the camels were