American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-07-17

he was ''tooting," too, and wanted to
go after Ptolemy.
The horses were fresh We went at
a gallop, and soon came close up behind
our elephant, who thus far was merely
shutting along in a sulky, logged way
of his own. But hearing us calling to
him, he started to run.
we put the horses to the full Jump,
and tried, by short squirt, to dash past
him; but now that it had come to a race,
he left us behind, and fairly ran suit of
hearing.
On we went for a mile or more in the
dark, having vague sense that the ele-
plant was somewhere ahead.
Presently we heard a dog barking
4 sa-agely. A little in advance was a
house; and in the dim light, we could
indistinctly see the elephant rushing
around in the dcoryard, maneuvering to
catch the bulldog, which had probably
rushed out at him.
In the house there was shouting and
doors slamming. The dog, barking like
a fury, was darling at the elephants
legs: and just as we came gallopIng up,
tPtolemy caught him.
had Il glimpse of the dog whirling
over high in the air. He struck. with
an awful yell, on the roof of the house.
and came tumbling off. Tol made
dash for him as he fell, and at almost
the same instant, the outside door opened
partly.
There was bright blaze, and bang!
went a gum and with that Ptolemy ran
off. trumpeting like locomotive.
We did not stop to settle scores with
the man and gun, but kept after the
elephant. Clumsy as an elephants
motions seem, few horses can keep
pace with one when the animal is run.
ming. Ptolemy left us again; for our
horses were SO out of breath that we
allowed them to walk up hill
| just at the foot of the hill, man lip
in an apple-tree by the roadside shout
ed, ''Who be ye?'
On our replying, he got down and
said, excitedly, that he had been after
the doctor for sick neighbor with his
horse and wagon, and that, about half
a mile beyond, he had met "a big crit
ter that "fell aboard" of him, and
killed his 'hoss'' and smashed his
wagon. He himself barely escaped over
stone wall.
The "critter' went past, he said, and
then he had started in the opposite di-
rection; but hearing us coming, he
thought more of 'em were loose" and
concluded that his best course was to
climb a tree.
Naturally, the man wanted to know
whether the ''critter" belonged to us.
We told him to talk with a man he
would meet farther on, who was coming
with two similar Critters" and then
we rode ahead as fast as we could.
We soon passed the dead horse and
broken wagon beside the road, but hur-
ried on for three or four miles before
we caught sight Of Ptolemy again.
Daylight was just beginning to break
in the east. We passed several houses,
and came to where there was a meet
ipg-house and school-house on opposite
sides OF the way, near where two roads
crossed each other Between the meet
ing-house and the roads there was an
open plat, or common, in the center of
which stood pump and public wa
tering- trough.
Here Ptolemy had found a COW and
her calf. The former was tied by
long rope to crowbar stuck in the
ground. The COW he had tusked, and
he was trying to catch the calf as the
little creature ran round and round its
mother.
just at this moment, an old cosset
ram, which had probably made one of
the group, gallantly came to the rescue
of the calf. and butted the elephants
legs. Tol tried to seize him with his
trunk, but failed, and the resolute ram
succeeded in giving the elephant an
other blow.
This time the ram was less fortunate.
Ptolemy seized him by his great curled
horns. and swinging the poor beast
high in the air, began thrashing the
watering trough with him.
With two or three strokes, he de- |
IL u 81. -
cry bono in the rams body; where
hundred feet, and rushed for the calf |
again; but catching sight of us, he
turned and ran down one of the roads |
past the school house.
l had got nearly by him, when he
turned. and wishing by all means to
head him. dashed my horse to his ut
most speed. For hundred yards or
more, we went neck and neck, horse |
and elephant. 1t was down hill; the |
horse had rather the advantage; and I |
yelled at Ptolemy so savagely that he |
was little doubtful what to do.
At length | shot by, but kept on at |
full speed, for the horse was in great |
fear of the elephant; and, indeed, l felt
far from sure myself that he would not |
throw us over the fence if he got hold,
of us
From the foot of the hill, the road
led across low ground. full of alders on
each side. to plank bridge that cross
ed deep black stream, thirty or forty
feet wide. A grade, or wharfing, with
railing on both sides, led up to the
bridge.
galloped across it. But when
Ptolemy came to the planking, he
stopped, fearful, probably, that it would
not bear his weight. He began feeling
of it with his trunk.
a thought struck me. l jumped off
my horse and began pulling up the
planks at my end of the bridge. They
were not spiked down, and l soon had
ten or twelve of them up. Tol stood
and looked at the gap, but did not dare
to set foot on the bridge.
Lutte had ridden up. and dismount-
ing, he resolutely barred the road be-
hind. We talked to the elephant kind
ly but authoritatively. He was evident
ly pretty well tired out with his run.
For as much as an hour we kept our
positions; and we could see that he was
beginning to grow sorry" An ele-
phant has more conscience than many
men. After mad fit they almost
always show unmistakable signs OF sor-
row for it.
Just after sunrise we saw Hockey
and the other two elephants in the road
up at the meeting house. On his keep
err coming down to the bridge, Ptolemy
out his trunk deprecatingly
towards him.
Under the circumstances, we were
only too glad to have him surrender