Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-08-04
Elephants Scared by Mice.

ElepnantS Scareu Dy Mice.
An animal keeper tells the following in
teresling story in the YOutHs Companion
When we went into winter quarters late
that fall, iE New York, we built sort o
rough barrack for the elephants, and wa,
appointed to take care of them through
the winter. We fed them on hay, vegeta
bles and some grain. About o'clock orc
morning, when we had been in the city
some three weeks, was aroused by ter.
ribe commotion and trumpeting in the
elephant house. Hastily lighting my Ian
tern, opened small side door and step
ped into II large room where their cribs
and beds were. All of the elephants were
standing close together on one side, "blow.
ing and turning this way aud that, ex.
hibiting every symptom of Albright. The
nozzles of their trunks were lifted high in
the air, and they were waving them to
and fro.
Tolr' shouted, what's the matter
Old Zen, what ails you?"
At that they all came crowding close
around me, like terrified children; and the
| little two-vear-oli fellow, Demetrius, v
actually hid the nose of his trunk in the
breast of my frock.
searched all the apartment with the
lantern, and kicked over the straw, but
could not find any cause for their fright.
What had scared them SO was more than
could even imagine. They became COM
posed after while, and | left them. but
they did not lie down again that night.
The next night, about l O'Clock there
was u similar fright, and hurried into the
apartment and searched again without
success. sat down intending to remain
with them until they had become quiet. |
had been sitting there fifteen or twenty
minutes, when some mice began to squeak
and rustic under the straw in one corner.
trumpeting again. Up went their trunks,
and they blowed and fairly trembled
with terror. So it was only mice that had
given them such fright. | had II laugh
at their expense, for it certainly was
amusing to see those brutes stand whim-
perlng ard shaking, with their trunks held
high over my head, in absolute terror of
Lhose tiny creatures They almost trod on
me, they were SO fearful lest | should
20 away and leave them to the tender
mercies of those fearful mice. | drove
nut the nice, and had to sit with my big
babies for nearly IN hour before they We're
willing to be left alone. A number of
times after that had to rise in haste at
midnight. and 60 to the relief of my ter
rtied elephants.
AT length set traps and caught some of
the mice; and one day, having Il couple of
them ust caught in an open wire trap like
Il little cage, opened the side door and
showed them suddenly to Ptolemy. He
fixed his eyes on the cage, and stood quite
still for II moment; but when the mice
suddenly stirred and ran wrigglng round
the cage, he gave loud "toot" and ran
off to the other side OF the house. On my
taking IL step toward him with the trap,
he put up his trunk and STOOD swaying and
W wing IL in the air, trumpeting piteously.
Why an elephant should be SO afraid of II
mouse is more than | can undertake to
explain. Some persons say it is because
here is in their country II little animal,
like II mouse, which gets inio their trunks,
causing them excruciating pain. But that,
| imagine, is merely II guess.
1t occurred To me that day that if "rol''
Was So afraid of Il mouse, we might per-
haps take advantage OF his fear 10 drive
him To obedience when he was rebellious
| kept it in mind, and when Hockey COM
menced training the animals in March
previous to setting off on our season g
tour-l caught some mice and put them in
Il large wire cage, 80 us to have them
ready for use About week after that
had been away during the forenoon, and
on coming home to dinner | heard that
the trainer was having trouble with Ptole-
my. After dinner went out and found
the elephant had been tripped in field
back of the elephant house, and the men
were getting poles and rods to give him II
beating.
Poor FOL was not likely to get any mer-
cy shown him this time, for he had come
near killing Hockey. Ho lay with his legs
chained to posts set in the ground; his
eyes looked black and vicious, and every
few moments he would toot out defiance.
| told them to bold on moment, and let
me try the mouse cure. Hockey laughed
and growled ut me. But got the cage and
set it down Just in front of Tolls head, and,
when the mice stirred and began scurrying
round the wires that elephants eyes
changed in an instant. The black went
out of them; up went his trunk and waved
| in the air, and on my showing the cage a
little nearer, he squealed in a dreadful
fright.
We thosght perhaps we had better give
him good lesson. So took one of the
mice from the cage and tied Il string to its
leg. and we put the little creature on his
back and let it run over him us he lay
chaiued down. 1t was Il fearful punish
ment for the brute Wherever the mouse
touched him the skin would run in wrnk
les and twitch and jerk. He struggled SC
rs to nearly wrench the posts out of the
ground. When we let him up he was as
humble and amiable an elephant as ever 4
trainer would wish to see. He could stand
hours of beating but, he could not endure
mice. 1t was more than two months be
fore he again showed any symptoms o
insubordination, and then we had only tc
show him the mice and he was good boy
again.