The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1854-08-02
Wild Elephants.

a person WHO mas never stth wiz o'c-
plant can form no idea Of his real character,
either mentally or physically The unwieldy
and sleepy-looking beast. who, penned up in
his cage at menagerie, receives sixpence in
his trunk, and turns around with difficulty to
deposit it in box; whose mental powers
seems to be concentrated in the idea OF re-
ceiving buns, tossed into gaping mouth by
children's hands; this very beast may have
come from a warlike stock. His sire may
have been the terror Of district. pltiless
highwayman, whose soul thirsted for blood;
who. lying in wait in some thick bush. would
rush upon the unwary passer-by, aud know
no pleasure greater than the act Of crushing
bis victim to a shapeless mass beneath his
feet = ~
have heard people exclaim, upon hear
ing anecdotes of elephant-hunting: Poor
things Poor things. indeed. | should
like to see the very person who thus expresses
his pity going at his best pace with a savage
elephant after him; give him a lawn to run
upon if he likes, and see the elephant gaining
foot in every yard Of the chase, Ere in bis
eyes, fury in bis headiong charge; and would
not the flying gentleman. who lately excam-
ed, Poor thing be thankful to the lucky
bullet that would save him from destruction
There are no animals more misunderstood
than elephants; they are naturally savage,
wary and reyengeful. displaying as great cour-
age when in their wild state as any animal
known. The fact Of their great natural "a
gacity renders them more dangerous as foes.
Even when tanned. there are many that are
not safe for stranger TO approach, aud they
are then only kept in awe By the sharp driving
hook Of the mouh0ut.
Elephants are gregariOus. and the average
number in a heard is about eight, although
:hey frequently form bodies Of fifty, and even
eighty, in one troop. Each herd consists Of
large proportion Of females, and they are
constantly met without a single bull in their
number. have seen some snail herds FORM
ed exclusively Of bulls but this is very rare.
The bull is much larger than the female, and
is generally more savage. His habits ire
quently induce him to prefer solitude to a
gregarious life. lie then becomes doubly VI
cious He seldom strays many miles from
one locality, which he haunts for many years.
He becomes what is termed rogue" He
then waylays the natives, ard, in fact, becomes
scourgc 10 the neighborhoOd, attacking the
inoffeusiVe without the slightest provocation,
carrying destruction into tho natives PaadV-
feLlS, and perfectly regardless Of night fires,
or the usual precautions for soaring wild
beasts
The daring pluck Of these "rogues is on
II equaled by their extreme cunning. En-
dowed with that wonderful power OF scent Pc
culiar to elephants, he travels in the daytime
dolcn the wind thus nothing can follow up
on his track without his Knowledge. lie
winds his enc my as the cautious hunter advan-
ces noiselessly upon his track, and he stands
with ears thrown forward, tai. erect. tiunk
thrown high in the air, with its distended tip
pointed to the spot from which lie winds the
silent bit approaching dang r. Perfectly
motionless does he stand. like a statue in eb-
ony, the very essence Of attention, every
nerve Of scent and hearing stretched to its
cracking point; not a muscle moves, net a
sound Of a rustling branch against his rough
sides he is a mute figure Of wild aud fierce
eagerness. Meanwhile the wary tracker
stoops to the ground, aud with a practiced eye
pierces through the tangled brushwood IN
search Of his colossal feet Still farther and
farther be silently creeps forward, when sud
denly crash bursts through the jungle the
moment has arrived for the ambushed charge
and the elephant is upon him.-Baker's RI
fe and Hound ia Ceyl0H.