New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-10-27
dow of his trunk on the nose Of hunter, and all

his first repast, for he was dying of hunger and
thirst No elephant disturbed the hunter in this
important act of his life: those who were cearest
the green tablecloth where his frugal meal was
spread out appeared, on the contrary, very joyous
at seeing their guest satisfy largely the demands Of
his thirst and his appetite. Everything went well;
but man, being never satisfied with his condition |
since Eden, Harrison, satiated and treasured, at
tempted to divine the intention Of the elephants
for these animals, carefully observed by him, have
always object, and do nothing for the pleasure
of doing nothing
certain agitation was soon manifested in the |
troop and sound Of heavy steps shook the ground
where the hunter was resting. -Four elephants,
who seemed to be chiefs in the colony, shook their
ones continued to sport thoughtlessly the grass
but the parents appeared very anxious
However, no movement appeared to be aimed at |
the hunter which redonbed his fears, for, thought
Harrison, it is impossible that many giants would
demean themselves thus to proceed to the execu-
ton OF dwarf Of my species something more |
serious must therefore be in agitation their subtle
trunks have smelt an invasion of wild beasts |
am about to witness battle Of lions and elephants
and in the melee shall be certain to receive blow
with trunk or claw: must then profit by the
general commotion and escape. This time shall |
not be noticed.
Having thought thus, Harrison crept along the |
grass IKE serpent, to gain the extremity of the
gallery his Jailers Immediately advanced with
trunks uplifted, but cautiously and made him
understand that his project Of escape was dis
covered, and that he must renounce it under pain
of DEATH
"This is strange" thought the hunter: how
does it happen that at moment so solemn, at the
approach of a formidable battle such as the bull
letins OF history have never described, these ele-
phants should still deign to be occupied with me?"
Then he assumed very humble attitude, and
expressed by his gesture his intention to remain.
The ground still trembled beneath invisible feet,
but too heavy to betoken an invasion of lions, if
the observer had been calm. The elephants turned
their Chances in the direction of the sound, and
their attitudes became more uneasy than threaten
ing. What an enigma for compromised natu-
raist!
At last one elephant issued from an arcade then
another, then third. The new corners were
ceved with lively manifestations of Joy, and at the
same instant shrill cries, which might have been
bursts of laughter from the Internal regions, re-
sounded on the trees of the rotunda. Harrison
then comprehended the kind Of invasion which the
elephants feared; an army of large monkeys had
just alighted on the neighboring branches and
were executing an intolerable concert; then these
horrible quadrumana gathered cocoa-nuts, and
threw them at the heads of the elephants with the
address of clowns, and the laughter redoubled
along the line. 1t was indeed spectacle of pity
to see those noble animals thus tormented in their
peaceful lives by these ignoble creatures, always
I sure of impuniny
This is humanity! We think these good ele-
plants happy in the midst of their dense forests,
on the banks of their lakes, peaceful and wise;
enjoying their strength. and never using it against
their neighbors: all living in the bosom of their
families; mute patriarchs, who have had the privi-
lcge of speaking no language, which them
| from each others caumny and insult; we'll it is
written that happiness shall be eternaly absent
from earth Monkeys were created to trouble
these grave and mild philosophers in their sports,
their repasts their friendships their lives. 1t has
often been asked what was the use of these large
monkeys. They serve this purpose: they poison
| the lives of elephants.
Such the reflection of the hunter natural
lists may find it paradoxica, which gives it chance
| to be true at an early day.
| The harsh and railing tumult which at this mo-
ment desolated this beautiful solitude had not
arrived at its height. Clouds of winged actors
seemed to drop from the sky to do their part in
the horrible concert; this was an auxiliary inva-
sion, that of parrots of every form, every shade,
every idiom known to the desert. These parasite
| birds accompany the monkeys, their purveyors, to
pick up the nuts cracked by their iron jaws. and
pay for their repast by initiating all the cries all
the noises, all the gamuts of animals and of soil.
tude. This harsh tempest, formed by the cries of
the monkeys and the limitations of the parrots an
noyed the delicate sense of hearing of these poor
elephants, and compelled even the younger ones
| to suspend their infantile sports. 1t was then
that the elephant wounded by Harrison advanced
towards the hunter and gave him an expressive
look.
In his quality of man, the hunter did not at first
at all understand the mute request of the elephants
he reflected, looked at the summit of the trees and
then at the turf, and discovered nothing, which
excited little tremors of mpatience in the colossus
How stupid is man! he would have said, if he could
| have spoken.
| And if the elephant, endowed with speech, and
acquainted with ancient history, had added any
| thing to his exclamation so uncOmpimentary to
human intelligence, he might have said In the
year PSI, Pyrrhus, king of Eprus, thinking himself
not strong enough to attack the Romans, sum-
moned elephants to his assistance and with the
aid of these, defeated the Romans at the battle of
Heraclea; well stupid Harrison, if / have for
given you for my wound, if have not killed you
with blow from my trunk, if have conducted
you hither among us, do you think it was to show
you as curiosity to my brethren? Do you not
| divine my intention? Do you think me less inte
gent than Pyrrhus, king of Epirus? We have need
| of you to put to flight our monkeys which poison
the happiness of our lives. Come, use the weapon
which was skifu in wounding an elephant use
your address to render service to honest people,
undeservedly prosecuted.
The idea suddenly illuminated the brain of Har
risOn; at last he comprehended! and an express
sion of gratited pride appeared on his counte.
nance; he was about to render an important
service to the elephants, his friends!
In his turn the hunter attempted to make himself
understood by his nteroctor for fearing the anger
of the monkeys, he needed solid ntrenchment and
shelter, which would permit him to fire on the
marauders with impunty.
hunter, and placed him between his two tnsks and
beneath his uplifted trunk. Protected by this
inaccessible fertilization, Harrison took his double
barreed gun, selected the two quadrumana lead
ers, who were balancing at the extremity Of long
branch, bordered by an arabesque of paroquets,
with the cries and the grimaces of demons, and
fired twice.
/ A single but formidable cry was heard cry
followed Immediately by absolute silence, as if the
creatures who had uttered it had been at the same
moment stifed by an electric strangulation. Ar
immense cloud of parrots rose on the SUBMITS OF
the trees, like painted dome, and divided itse
immed ately into a thousand fragments, as if a
gust of wind had just dissolved it into air. 1t was
one of those marvellous spectacles which interior
Africa keeps for herself or delivers only to heroic
Adventures who dare to surprise her in the formd
In1l In 1y.cfA nFh nre
/ The nexhaustible echoes of the chain of Lupata
seized this double defamation, repeating it to in.
fnity and the colonies of lions scattered among
the caverns of this artery of the globe, responded
by roars to the first sound of conquest and of civ
zation
The hunter had not wasted his two shots; the
two monkeys fell dead on the tuft Two elephants
ran seized them with their trunks, and flung them
adrotly towards the higher branches, as if to de-
liver them to the examination of their families and
friends. There was then an explosion of lugubrl-
Gus and almost human lamentations; whole ma
ton seemed to be grooming in chorus over the
death of an adorcd sovereign. But the hunter did
not allow himself to be moved by this desolaton of
the monkeys, and reloadng his carbine, picked out
two more who seemed to be leaders. After each
double discharge, the trunks, always skillful,
gathered up the dead and sent them to the Breaches,
where they fell into the arms of the desolate sur
vvors. 1t then became necessary to sound a re-
treat the most cowardy gave sharp signal; the
groves were quickly shaken in every leaf, as if by
an inward tempest, and the mournful bowls of this
mourning nenn1e nv DEGREES died AWAY in the soil