Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1891-02-19
INTELLIGENT ANIMALS.

tiled 'IIOrSe Stories and Stories of
Ther Animals" "While have NO hest
alton about relating Instances bearing
IN this statement, prefer to tell of oc-
currences which indicate no actual rea-
soning power in the animal.
1T is customary in the settlements to
water the cattle from large wooden
buckets filed with water pumped from
u we'll. This is done that they may not
drink the water of the reservoirs, which
is stagnant and unwholesome. Ordi-
narily the pumping is done at early
morning by one of the elephants, the
work taking nearly an hour. Accus-
toned to the task, he does not wait to
be ordered, and every morning, an hour
before sunrise, he is at his labor with
the precision of living alarm-clock,
II was staying once at Trichinopoly,
Mt the house of a friend of mine, a mer-
chant, who owned a grand villa few
leagues outside the city The sun was
rising, and my servant had just awalz-
ened me for my bath. Passing through
the yard l saw n large white elephant
working ut the pump. He closed his
eyes sadly, and WINS apparently trying
to turn his thoughtsfrom his %earisome
labor. He saluted my presence with a
|. joyful Tapping of his ears, for during
the two days since my arrival had
given him many daintics, but he did not
cease from his work, which had to be
finished. .,.....
Il was strolxing him with my harS in
passing, when I noticed that one of the
two planles whicl, supported the bucket
on either side had fallen away. 1t thus
happened that the bucket, being up
held on one side only, spilled its con-
tents, without a possibility of being
filed.
''Thc elephant did not think that his
work was ended because one side of the
bucket was filed; nor did he attempt
the impossible feat of trying to fill the
other side until both sides were even.
In a few minutes the water commenced
to run from the lower side of the buck,
ct, and the animal began to show signs
of uncasinessS nevertheless, he contin-
ucd to pump. Soon, however, he
dropped the handle, and drew nearer
to observe the cause of the trouble. He
returned to the pump three times, each
time coming back to examine the buck
ct. / awaited the end of this strange
scene with unhagging interest. All at
once n waving of the ears seemed to in
dictate that an idea had occurred to him.
''He came over to lift up the plank
that had fallen away, and for moment
I thought that he intended to put it
back in it's place under the lower side
of the bucket. But he was not troubled
about the lower side, which was al
ready filled with water; It was the
other side which annoyed him. Lifting
the bucket carefully, he supported it
for a moment with one of his great feet,
while with his trunk he pulled out the
second plank and placed tho bucket on
solid earth, thus making it even on all
sides. This done, the labor Of filing it
was easy.
1.-The elephant is much attached to
the women and children in the villages,
and it would be dangerous for stran-
ger to make even an unfriendly gesture
in the presence of this animal.
ut is a remarkable sight to see him
guard his masters children in their
promenades; he watches every thing;
beasts, serpents, turf pits and swamps,
in fact, any danger which may be i'm
agined is overcome by mis- presence. His
pace is regulated by that of the children,
and he attends them, gathering flowers,
fruit from the trees and sugar canes; mt
a motion from one of them he will break
tree branch If one desires to make a
whip or cane. At the slightest noise
which he does not understand, if he sees
jackal or hyena in the distant thicket,
he instantly gathers his brood under his
trunk, commences to roar with rage,
and any thing, lion, tiger or man, which
threatens. harm to his charges, is in
danger of being dashed to the ground.
'In the lowlands of the Gauges. a
swampy country covered with jungles
and rice fields, the royal Bengal tiger is
found of great size and ferocity. The
combats between this terrible beast and
the elephant, guarding the cattle, serv-
ants or children of his master, are of
almost daily occurrence. The royal
Bengal tiger is so fierce that he never
refuses to fight his adversary, although
the end of the combat generally finds