The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-06-22
TRICKY BABY PETE.
HE COMMITTED THE THEFTS FOR
WHICH A MAN WAS DISCHARGED.

WHICH A MAN WAS DISCHARGED.
A Midnight Adventure In the Winter
Quarters of an Elephant Herd = How
Sly Pete Got Away From His Stake and
Stole Bag of Oats.
Pete is the baby elephant Of one Of
the big circus herds. During his con-
finement in winter quarters he played a
trick on his keeper, which the man re-
lates as follows:
Pete is tiny little fellow and does
not weigh more than 900 or 800 pounds,
but / actually believe he would eat as
many pounds Of oats If he had access
to them. The elephant house was dark
one night, and supposed every one Of
the animals was sound asleep, when my
attention was attracted by subdued,
rasping noise, apparently coming from
the farther end of the big herd. Instead
of walking down in front of them all,
l went around and came in at the other
end. Hiding behind some bales Of
straw, l peered cautiously over to where
the little rascal was chained, and there
he was, carefully lifting his stake out
of the ground I saw in an instant that
he had had the stake out before that
time, for all he had to do was to lift 1t
up and it came out. He slipped his foot
chain down over the tapering end of the
stake and was Free
Across the room, distant perhaps 30
feet or more from his place, were piled
some sacks of grain, containing about
100 pounds each. Picking up the foot
chain very carefully with his trunk, SO
that it would not rattle or jangle upon
the floor, he began the most delicate,
sinuous, gliding motion across the space
that separated him from the grain I
ever saw, and never imagined an ele-
plant could go SO quietly. I crouched
behind the bales Of straw, afraid to move
for fear he would hear me and stop.
ION he went, cautiously, slowly, but
steadily, until he was within reaching
distance of the sacked grain. Then he
laid the chain down and picked up a
bag of oats with his trunk. His Journey
back to the herd, 30 feet away, was
performed even more cautiously than
had been his advance, for he had to
drag the chain without making a noise.
All the time he held the sack Of grain
tightly in his trunk, and his mouth
must have watered when he thought of
the feast he was going to have He
reached the herd at last and went up to
great big Babylon, who stood like a
bronze statue, her massive sides loom
ing up like the sides of house in the
gloom. Pete stopped, and Babylon,
whom I had imagined fast asleep, took
the oats. They got into the bag in a
jiffy and then began feast. Pete filled
his mouth and munched away like
man eating dry crackers on wager.
He knew that his big companion in
crime would get the most of the oats if
he lost any time. Babylon put away al
most half the oats at the first jump out
of the box, and poor little Pete, with
his mouth full, looked at her with his
watery little eyes, as much as to say,
oh, what hogP and gulped the oats
down his little throat at the risk of
choking to death.
81 thought it was about time to make
noise, just to discomfort them. had
seen enough to assure me that hostler
who had been discharged hadn't been
instrumental in the disappearance Of
divers and sundry bags of oats, and, as
walked around toward the other end
of the elephant house, wondered what
should do to punish the thieves. The
hIn hod hoA Ell
performed a few months before, and
thought that any sight Of the instru-
ments that had been used at that time
would give her good fright. When
had reached my own sleeping room,
purposely made a noise and heard the
shutting sounds Of sly little Pete as he
shambled back to his place. He picked
his stake up, put it down in the ground,
and would have put it through the ring
in the chain if he had had time. When
l came along, he was leaning against
the wall asleep. 1 gave him gentle
prod. and he awakened suddenly, with
that sleepy stare that person has when
awakened from slumber But he soon
knew that was ON to him, for, when
OAuS1ou I'LL W open MS mouth, ne
didn't want to do it. He finally obeyed,
and there were the oats. His mouth
was jammed full of them. l didn't do
anything to him, but walked over to
big Babylon. She was his partner in
crime. but she was playing possum too.
II had good deal of trouble to wake
her up and more to make her open her
mouth. Much to her chagrin, imagine,
it was full Of oats, and she had the
empty sack closely rolled up and packed
in with them. She was sheepish and
ashamed, I assure you, if ever an ele-
plant put on that expression. To pun
ish her l ordered her to sit down and
open her mouth and made a motion as
If to pass great pair of forceps into it,
which had been used during the opera
ton l referred to- She shut her mouth
and cried like baby, and was SO thor
oughly frightened that she never tres
passed again. But that sly little Pete
why, he is more trouble than the entire
herd, and he just gets loose whenever
he wants to. st. Louis Globe Demo-
GRAFT