Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-02-05
SELIM'S ELEPHANT.

Things were taking a turn with
me. | had lOnged for a change,
bat not even my widest lmagl'
nings would he transferred from an
inland town of Pennsylvania to an
inand district of the island OF
c V on. Yet that Is what happer-
ed: Tor business changes came 10
N, hrother-in Law, with whom /
hid reen working, aud he was
l..l 4 10 that tar away country TO
,ok after 4 piece of pr 'pertN, and
at mis- invitation | went with hiW,
for Nonll he nee ed III MAXI z
in- surveys.
4 % Shrn Se we're really there
and | could look around, | thought
Ithu would meyer bee 'he ac
c i>iomrd 10 my strange SnIIuund
lngs. Every hing else might pave
become iahillar to me IN time, bat
to sre farm work b~ing done With
elephants Instead Jf h0rSes-thAt
would be surprise to me as long
as lived, thought.
Ahmed was the name of the
ame elephant which was being
led past The hack door on the eve
nlug of my coming, and which
pau ed there a moment aud b eld
out his trunk iuQulsltively as he
saw me.
'Sehn must go up 10 the mount
am to briug some Tood,' said Mr..
Franklin, the manager OF the farm,
sheu he was trying to appoint a
Ia, for us to begin the survey ing.
That will take all day tomorrow,
mo possibly a good part of the
rext da>.1
'How do you get the wood down
the mounraiLr | asked, for had
seen no other animal about the
| pi zee except the elephat.
'Ahmcd carries it, he replied,
We could not work the farm with
out Ahmed
Aud so the next day l slw the
great, clumsy animal, which L had
always associated with plains and
iuugles-never with rocky sleeps
or rugged slOpes-cIlmbing the
nountain on his way TO the forest
which furnished the farm with lis
supply of wood. He climed readily
AID carefully, planting his huge
ttet firmly before trusting bis
weight on them, and L was as
tonished to note how much sa
gdclty he showed in his choice o.
paths. Selim walked beside him
D with bis ak on his shoulder and tht
iron prod Ia bis hand, Iapd whei
ne came down from his first Jour
ney thought he had been using
The weapon ittle too freely. Tb'
poor animal was breathing heavl
~, and one OF two streams o
blood tiickled down from his e rs
'DOAOu have to punish him 81
severely as thalP | asked, as
petted Ahmed a little and fec
him "A few mOrsels from the table
The man was still irritable, and h'
answered me shortly.
Il would like 10 kill hm. H.
vexes the soul from me. You mus
not feed hlm-yOu will spoil him
The man was native, ant
though he had lived among E1rOp
cans all bis lite there WAS still
vindictive energy IN HIM | did no
like. But refrained from pettini
Ahmed, though the creature neve
came near me without asking TO
T notice.
d Naturally / was much intereste
in Ahmed; partly, supposed, be
cause he was the first tame elt
phant with whom I had ever bt
come Intimately acquainted, an
,r partly because l thought he wa
y cruelty treated.
,e spoke to MIR. Franklin about
after the Grst few days, but b
merely laughed.
That's a thing you have to leav
to tue keepers he said. 'As Ion
- as the fellow doesn't kill the elt
phant you have to let him 60.
- None of US could manage Ahmed
you knew, aud the fellow has 9
a pretty we'll at his mercy so far a
the treatment OF the elephant