Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-01-07

[tEAI %EaAh even my Wlldes
Sgs2 CT imaginings woulc
have made m
dream that / would be transferred
from an inland town of Pennsylvania
to an inland district of the island o.
Ceylon. Yet that is what happened
for business changes came to my
brother-in-law with whom | had beer
working, and he was called to thai
far away country to look after a piece
of property, and at his invitation
went with him, for | would be needed
in making The surveys.
And when we were really there and
| could look around, l thought that
would v become accustomed tc
my strange surroundings. Everything
else might have become familiar to
me in time, but to see farm work be.
ing done with elephants instead OF
horses-that would be a surprise to
me as long as | lived, l 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 a 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 a day for us to
begin the surveying. THAT will take
all day tomorrow. and possibly a good
part of the next day."
the mountain?" I asked, for l had seen
nj other animal about the place ex-
cept the elephant.
"Ahmed carries it," che replied.
1--WE could not work the farm without
Ahmed"
And so the next day l saw the great,
clumsy animal, which l had always as
ISOLATED with plains and iungles-
never with rocky sleeps or rugged
slopes climbing 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 / was
astonished to note how much segacity
he showed in his choice of paths.
Selim walked beside him, with his 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 breath.
ing heavily, and one or two streams Of
blood trickled down from his ears.
"Do you have to punish him SO
severely as that?" / asked, as I petted
Ahmed a little and fed him a few
morsels from the table. The man was
still irritable, and he answered me
shortly.
81 would like to kill him. He vexes
the soul from me. You must aot feed
him--you will spoil him."
The man was a native, and though
he had lived among Europeans all his
life there was still u vindictive energy
IL him | did not like. But 1 refrained
from petting Ahmed, though the Great.
ure never came near me without ask.
ing for notice.
Naturally | was much interested in
Ahmed; partly, / suppose, because he
was the first tame elephant with whom
! had ever become intimately acquaint-
ed, and partly because 1 thought he
was cruelty treated.
l spoke to Mr.. Franklin about il
after the first few days, but he merely
laughed.
''That's a thing you have to leave to
the keepers" he said. "As long as
the fellow doesn't kill the elephant
you have 10 let him GO. None of us
could manage Ahmed, you know, and
the fellow has us pretty we'll at his
mercy so far as the treatment of the
elephant is concerned. It's all right,
] 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 go within reach OF Ahmed, for he
was really afraid Of him, ard he kept
cautioning me.
lyon can't trust elephants, be said
Several that / know of have gone
mad, one would think, and have killed
people. after having been so tame that
they have been the children's play
You had better leave Ahmed
to Selim and take care of yourself"
And l honestly tried to take his ad-
vice. and for q number Of days / did
nothing more than feed him q little
when his keepers back was turned.
And it was this little kindness that