Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-27
CHAPTER III.

I
IT lived thus many years In splendor AM
delight with my dear Aor. We assisted q
all ceremonies and festivals; we receives
visits from foreign ambassadors wa
loaded with presents till my palace becam
one of the richest museums in Asia Nom
of the temples were closed to me, and
loved to enter those lofty, shaded chapels
in which the colossal figure Of Gautama
glittering with gold, rose like a sun at tn
farther end Of the inches, lighted from
above. I even knew how to give offeringl
to the venerated idol, and how to swing the
golden censer before him.
"But no earthly happiness can endure.
Tho King engaged in q disastrous wal
against a neighboring State. He waa
vanquished and dethroned. Tho usurper
exiled him without me. He kept me as a
mark Of his power and q pledge of his
alliance with Bouddha; but he had neither
kindness nor reverence for me, and my serV-
ice was soon neglected.
'tAor made complaints, and the servants
of the new king conceived hatred for him,
and resolved to put him out of the way. One
night, as were sleeping together, they en-
tered noiselessly and stabbed him with q
dagger. Awakened by his cries, tell upon
the assassin, who took fight My poor Aor
was unconscious; his sarong was wet with
blood. / took all the water in the silver
basin and sprinkled him with it, without
being able to restore him. Then remember
ing the physician, who always slept In the
adjoining room, woke him and brought
him in to Aor. My friend was devotedly
cared for, and came to life again; but he was
weakened by loss of blood, and I would
neither go out nor bathe without him. Over
whelmed with sorrow for him, refused to
eat, but lay always by his side.
mo search was made for the assassins.
There was pretense made that I had acci-
dentally wounded Aor with one of my
tusks. and they said they must be sawed off,
The doctor, who knew quite we'll what to
think about 1t, dared not sreak the truth.
He even advised my friend to be silent,
rather than hasten the triumph of the enc
mics who had sworn his downfall.
1.-THE civilized life into which had been
initiated now seemed to me the bitterest of
servitudes My happiness depended on the
caprice of prince who neither would not
nor could protect the life of my best friend
turned in disgust from the hypocritical
honors still paid me as matter of form, I
received official visits with ill-humor, and
drove away the dancers and musicians who
disturbed the light and hardly won sleep OF
my friend.
'eUnder presentiment of NEW misfortunes,
a longing recollection Of my youthful years
filed nv heart. In nv troubled dreams
saw again my assassinated mother sheltering
me with her wounded body. saw my desert
again, my splendid trees. the river, Mount
Ophir, and the great ocean cleaning Oh the
horizon. Homeslckness overcame me, and
the fixed idea that would take flight ruled
nv thoughts But must take Aor with me,
and the poor fellow was hardly able to raise
himself to kiss nv forehead as leaned over
him.
zone night. exhausted with watching, I
slept heavily for several hours. When
aw oke Aor was not on his couch, and called
him in vain. Distracted with anxiety, I
rushed into the garden and looked for him
by the lake. My sense OF smell showed me
that he was not there, and had not been
there recently. I opened the gates of the
lnclosure and went out. Then found that
my friend was near, and I sought him
hill. As approached I heard . plaintive
cry, and rushed into the copse and found
Aor tied to tree and surrounded by rascals
ready to strike him. threw them all back
and trampled them under foot without
mercy. I broke Aor's bonds. took him
carefully and helped him to mount on my
neck, and, with the rapid and silent motion
IF the elephant in fight, I plunged into the
iorest.
cat that time the part of India in which
We were was full of the strangest contrast.
Luxurious civilization had unexplored des-
.rts at it's very door. 1t took me but short |
line to reach the wild solitudes of the |
and when laid down weary on !
he bank of water course-straighter and |
more rapid than the Irawady-we were |
.lready 80 leagues away from the Burmsn !
"rwhere are We going?' asked Aor. .Ahl
see 1t in your look, you are returning to
ur mountains You think we are already
here. and you are mistaken. We are very
ar away. We shall never be able to find
ur way back without feing discovered and
aptured. And even should we be able to
wade pursuit, we should not be able to 60
ar before, ill as am, I should die; and
hen how could you make your way to that
istant point without me to guide you?
.eave me here. The enemies are all mine,
nd 20 you back to Pagham, where nobody
ill dare to threaten you
''But made him under5tand that would
either leave him nor 60 back to the Bur-
lans; that if he died, should die, too;
nat with patience and courage we should
ct find ourselves happy at home.
'He yielded to my wish, and after having
,sted, we resumed our journey. After sew
al days Of travelling we both regained
ealth, strength and hope The free air of
'litude. the austere fragrance Of the forests,
le wholesome warmth OF the rocks, healed
] better than all the softness of luxury and
medies Of the doctors. And yet Aor
metimes shrank from the task had laid
pom him. To lead awav q sacred elephant
as to fall under the most cruel tortures in
se Of failure. He told me his fears on !
l.e which he had made of reeds, and on
lIich he played better than ever. I had
tanned an exercise OF thought almost equal
that of man. I showed what it was best
r us to do by covering myself with black
I'D which lay abundantly at the bottom of
e river bed. Struck with my expedient,
gathered the juices of several plants
hose properties he knew. With these he
ade dye, which rendered me, except in
e matter of size, absolutely like the COM
On elephants 1 showed him that this
IS not enough, but that to make me abso-
tely unrecognizable he must saw off my
SKIS. He would not consent to this
d reached my sixth dentition, and he
ared that my tusks might not grow again.
. thought me sufficiently disguised, and