Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-01-21
SELIM'S ELEPHANT.

nad longed lOr cnanSe, Dut not even
my widest imaginings would have
made me dream that | would be trans
ferred from an inland town of Penn
sylvania to an inland district Of the
island of Ceylon. Yet that is what
happened for business changes came
to my brother-in-law, with whom | had
been working, and he was called to
that far away country to look after a
piece Of property, and at his invitation
| went with him, for | would be need
ed Ill making the surveys.
And when we were really there and
could look around, thought that |
would never become accustomed to
my strange surroundings. Everything
else might have become familiar to me
in time, but to see farm work being
done with elephants instead Of horses
that would be a surprise to me as
long as I lived, thought.
Ahmed was the name of the tame
elephant which was being led past the
back door on the evening Of my COM
ing, and which paused there mo-
ment and held out his trunk inquisi-
lively as he saw me.
"Selim must go up to the mountain
to bring some wood, said Mr.. Frank
lin, the manager of the farm, when he
was trying to appoint day for us to
begin the surveying. "That will take
all day tomorrow, and possibly a good
part Of the next day"
"How do you get the wood down
the mountain?" asked, for had seen
no other animal about the place ex-
cept the elephant.
Ahmed carries it," he replied
"We could not work the farm without
Ahmed
And so the next day | saw the great,
clumsy animal, which had always as
sociated with plains and jungles-
never with rocky sleeps or rugged
slopes-cllmbing the mountain on his
way to the forest which furnished the
farm with its supply of wood. He
climbed readily and carefully, plant
ing his huge feet firmly before trust
ing his weight on them, and l was as
tonished to note how much sagacity
he showed il his choice of paths. Sc
lin walked beside him, with hi, ak on
his shoulder and the iron prod in his
hand, and when he came down from
his first journey thought he had been
using the weapon a little too freely.
The poor animal was breathing heavi-
ly, and one or two streams of blood
trickled down from his ears.
"Do you have to punish him so Sc
verely as that p I asked, as l petted
Ahmed a little and fed him q few NOR
sells from the table. The man was
still irritable, and he answered me
shortly.
"I would like to kill him. He vexes
the soul from me- You must not feed
him-you will spoil him"
The man was a native, and though
he had lived among Europeans all his
life there was still vindictive energy
in him | did not like. But | refrained
from petting Ahmed, though the crea-
ture never came near me without ask
ing for notice.
Naturally l was much interested in
Ahmed partly, suppose, because he
was the first tame elephant with whom
l had ever become intimately acquaint-
ed, and partly because | thought he
was cruelty treated
spoke to Mr.. Franklin about it
after the first few days, but he merely
laughed.
That's thing you have to leave to
the keepers" he said. CAS- long as
the fellow doesn't kill the elephant
you have to let him go. Non. of rs
could manage Ahmed, you know, and
the fellow has us pretty well at his
mercy so far as the treatment of the
elephant is concerned. It's all right,
l suppose. Elephants are tough, and
it would be hard to hurt them much.
And with this easy philosophy Mr..
franklin contented himself. He would
not ge within reach of Ahmed, for he
was really afraid of him, and he kept
cautioning me.
"You can't trust elephants, " he said.
Several that l know of have gone
mad, one would think, and have killed
people, after having been so tame that
they have been the chlldren's play
things. You had better leave Ahmed
to Selim and take care OF yourself" "
And l honestly tried to take his ad-
vice, and for number of days l did
nothing more than feed him a little
i