Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-05-28
Otd Soup.

book about elephants. written by
French gentleman. named Jacolliot, and
we will let he author tell his own story:
In the autumn of 1876 | was living in
the interior of Bengal, and / went TO
spend Christmas with my friend. Major
Daily. The majors bungalow was on the
banks Of the Ganges near CsWnpore. DE
had lived there good many years, being
chief of the quartermaster's department,
at that station. and had q great many ma
lives, elephants. bullock carts. and SOL
diers under bis command.
On the morning after my arrival, after
cup Of early tea (otten taken before
de flight in India). | sat smoking with
my friend in the veranda of his bungalow.
looking ont upon the windlngs of the sa-
cred river And. directly. l asked the
msjor about his children Ga boy and
GRID, whom / had not yet seen, and
begged to know when | should SEE them.
800 pramary has taken them on. fish
ing" said their father.
why. isnr Soupramany your great
wal elephant ?" | ccied.
Exactly so. You cannot have for
gotten Soupramany
"Of course not. | was here, you
know, when he had that fight with The
elephant who went mad while loading
transport with bags OF rice down yonder.
| saw the mad elephant when be suddenly
began TO ding the rice into the river. HIS
'mshoup tried to stop bim, and he killed
the mahout. Tue native sailors ran away
to hide themselves, and the mad elephant,
trumpeting, charged into this inclosure.
Old Soupramsny was here, snd so were
Jim and BessY. When be saw the mad
animal, he thew himself between him
aud the children. The little ones and
their nurses had just time TO get into the
house when the fight commenced"
Yes" said the major. "Old Soup
was a hundreL years old. He had been
trained to war, and to fight with the
rhinoceros, bu. he was too old TO hunt
then"
"And yet." said l, becoming aDims.ed
by the recollecti ms of that day, "what a
gallant fight IL WAS Do you remember
how We slI stood on ta;s porch and
watched il, not daring TO fire q shot lest
We should bit old Soupramanyp Do you
remember, too, his look when he drew
Of, after fighting an hour and bali.
his adversary dying in the dust, and
walked straight to the corral shaking
his great ears which had been badly torn,
with his head bruised. and g great piece
broken from one OF his tusksW
Yes, indeed" said the major. "Well,
since then, be is more devoted to my dear
little ones than ever. He takes them out
whole days. and am perfectly content to
have them under bis charge. don9 like
trusting Christian children to the care Of
natives; but with Old Soup know they
can come to no HARM"
Beside the children, on the bsuks Of
the Ganges. stood Old Soup with bam-
boo rod in his trupk. With line. hook, bait.
and coik, like the ctildren's. l had not
watched long before he had bite; for.
as the religion of the Hindoos forbids
them to take life, the river swarms With
fishes.
The old fellow did not stir his little
eyes watched his line eagerly he was no
novice in "the gentle craft" He was
waiting .il it was time to draw In his
prize.
At the end Of bis line, as he drew it up
was dangling one of those golden tench
80 abundant in the Ganges.
When Soupramany perceived what 8
fine fish he had caught. he uttered one of
those long. low grrgling notes OF salts
faction by which an elephant expresses
joy; aud he waited patiently. expecting
Jim to take his prize off the hook aud put
on some more bait for him. But Jim, the
little rascal, sometimes liked 10 plague
Old Soup. He nodded to US, as much as
to say, "Look ont, and you'll see fnn.
nowr Tnen he took of the fsn, which
he threw into water-jar placed there for
the purpose, and went back TO his place
without putting any bait on Old Soups
hook. The intelligent animal did not at
tempt to throw his line into the water
He tried to move Jim by low, pleading
cries. 1t was curious to note what tender
tones be seemed 10 try 10 give bis voice.