New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-01
~ ELEPHANT SUALLOUED WHILE.

TALE OF AN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. On
GAc1rY OF THE DOOMED BRUTE.
ami, .,or soo an eIenhant die ?" said the keeper,
reroatinc reporters question. ""eh "iu I'LL"
didn't" 1910. ,.o,,,r Tor
his note book. ,
81 did not see him actually die replied the keeper
without tho vestge Of smile >" lie was living ""e"
7 los, sight Of him lie was swallowed awe
This is going TO be pretty SUN yarn Keeper
rem,r,,cd the reporter as shade OF DISAPPOINTMENT
-. III, foco 81 guess I won't need the note
,oor Won saw him walowcd alive eh' always
Thought Won were an antiquity, never suspected you
~ be antediluvian. What did It,, mesalo'aurus
Never heard OF such thing said the keeper
GRITTY "This was n Iuicksand.'
"Oh. quicksandl Go on. old man. responded
the reporter delighted. as he pulled ont Pnch OF
two "Te us all about IT.
ar was in India" said the old keeper. "whe'e
learned good deal about elephants, never thinking
that il would come useful to me In Barhum
mcn,rerc in after years Elephants arc common oe'S''
Of burden there ard OH this day heavily ioHicu oio
was crossing a shallow but broad stream by "aui"s
Tho sacacous brute had refused TO step on the bahy
constructed bridge which the natives had erected ;
but his instinct did not warn him OF DANGEROUS
Quiclsand which the water cohce''c"' ho'' u" ~
bank.
II was attracted &C. the by the shouts OF MS
owners five Indian merchants, whose wares he carried
from one bazaar TO another They did not KNOW o
Tho oricl,sond and could not understand why their
elephant did not on; Of the stream which he had
almost crossed. when they learned the pcdcaheht
no ,vas in their howls Of grief and despair were ear
shifting suggested that bundles of turf and branches
he thrown % the elephant and this was done. Tie
o,d follow seemingly aware Of his danger, took each
hundle with his trunk and thrust II under
water Then with mighty effort, dragging
up one foot out, az the sucking sand, he wouu pun
IL ON tho bundle Of faeos and press 1t down. lie
cot n lot Of them under him in this way Win more
skin and precision than you would THINK possible
but the soft sand took them all In ana sun lei MN
down farther into its depths.
His master procured small boat ana pOied u
on, 70 him. Then they took all his load Of goods
MY mt them I'm the boat and brought them ashore.
This lcgsencd his weight u good deal. but the SAND
was by that time up above his shoulders ana soon
his entire back covered by the water. Only MS
head showed now. and stIll the old fellow wis the
only calm and collected individual In the crowd
cannot help vhlnking Of m elephant as person. no
one can, who has been With them ana Witnessed
their Intelligence as much rs | have
Collecting some floating boards which had been
thrown out 10 him. he made sort of raft of them
with his trunk and rested his big head on them IL
was no use however. IIe was doomed and we knew
H. Before long the water covered his mouth. linen
he u,t,d his long trunk and curlcd II back over his
forehead The water filed his ears and he Tapped
them vigorously for time soon II reached his eve
lnshcs and then his hg burning eyes, Just at the
waters edge. took ptnble expression They
seemed TO besccch aid and succor from those he hd
served 50 long and faithfully. and his masters fairly
grovcllcd I'm the dnst they yelled 10 their gods
and frn,hcd NJ Tho mouth In their frantic Indian way
Of expires Ing sOrrow The tears came into my own
eyes as | looked at the old fellow and knew there
was no help for HIM
AS the water covered his eyes. his courage gave
way at last and he uttered piercing scream OF fright
through the trunk and repeated II several umcs
II made my blood curilc. tell yon. Have yon heard
horse, scram In a burning building IL IL almost
humnn ~ was the old fellows death cry. The
end was close hand. His long trunk sun waved
Wildly above the water. but nothing else OF nm
was visible. It's length grew less ana less. ana
finally the water Iuurci over the top OF H. one
more bnbbllng chokcd. gnsping scream threw 'hc
water out again into a high Jet. but that ehort was
the last The stream quickly filled up MS only
channel 10 the mir above and the old elephant was
buried before he dead. could have watched
dozen natives swallowed up In the same way Win
out feeling half bad about IT.