The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-11-29
THREE ELEPHANT STORIES.
freed by an Angry Brute--An Intrepid
Beast in Battle.


Beast in Battle.
Major Rogers had been out shooting,
and had discharged all his guns, when
an elephant made a charge at him from
the skirts of Il jungle. There was no
help for it except to run, and for four
hundred yards the Major kept Just
ahead, feeling at every step as if the
trunk was trying to twist itself about his
loins. A turn around tree gave him a
momentary advantage, which he made
the most of by springing up into the
branches; he was as nimble as cat
and as strong as lion. One foot
higher and he would have been out of
the elephants reach; but before he had
time to draw up his legs the elephant
had got him firmly clinched in the tolls
of his probOscis. Still, Rogers pulled
against him, thinking it was better to
have his leg wrenched from the socket
that to fall back bodily into the animals
power. The struggle, however, did not
last long, for, to the delight of the pur-
sued, and the chagrin of the pursuer,
the Wellington boot which the former
wore slipped off, released the leo, and
saved the life of poor Rogers. The
dilemma, however, did not end here,
for the elephant, finding himself baked
of his prey, after destroying the boot,
took up his quarters beneath the
branches and kept his anticipated victim
in the tree for twenty-four hours, when
the country postman happened to pass
by. Rogers gave him notice of his
position, and soon belp came, and the;
elephant was frightened away by tom
toms and yelling. Had this occurred in
a deserted part of the Jungle the officer
must have been starved to death in the
tree.
There is beautiful story of an old
elephant engaged in a battle on the
plains of India. He was Standard
bearer, and carried on his huge back the
royal ensign, the rally-point of the
Poona host At the beginning of the
fight he lost his master. The ''mahout,
or driver, had just given him the word
to halt when he received fatal wound
and fell to the ground, where he lay
under heap of slain. The obedient
elephant stood still while the battle
closed around him and the standard he
carried He never stirred a foot, re-
fusing to advance or retire, as the con-
tiict became hotter and tiercer, until the
Mahrattas, seeing the standard still fly
ing steadily in its place, refused to be-
lieve that they were being beaten, and
rallied again and again round the col
ors. And all this while, amid the din
of battle, the patient animal stood
straining its ears to catch the sound of
that voice it would never hear again.
At length the tide of conquest left the
field deserted. The Mahrattas swept
on in pursuit of the flying foe, but the
elephant, like a rock, stood there, with
the dead and dying around and the en-
sign waving in its place. For three days
and nights it remained where its master
had given the command to halt. No
bride or threat could move it. They
then sent to village, one hundred
miles away, and brought the mahout' $
little son. The noble hero seemed then
to remember how the driver had some
times given his authority to the little
| child, and Immediately. with all the
shattered trappings clinging as he went,
paced quietly and slowly away.
''The native Hindoo,n the narrator of
this story tells us, from want of thought
keeps up constant drumming on the
beasts head with the goad, or 'ankus;
|, therefore, hoped not to use it at all
Such an improvement all at once, how
ever, proved more than the elephantinc
mind could grasp. He began really to
enjoy himself going his own way more
than mine, till at last he marched
straight into an immense forest tree of
the banyan species and commenced to
browse. He seized the boughs above
his head and, Juggling violently at them
brought them down on my devoted
skull. This was too much. | raised the
ankus and brought it down on his head
with blow that brought blood through
the skin. This had the desired effect,
and he at once bundled Off along the
road by which he knew WANTED him to
90. He merely took with him branch
about the size of small apple tree to
discuss as we went along. From this
moment we We're friends, and | don t
think ever had to use the hook again
so as to bring blood. "-London Times.