The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-01-30

| 4 " had longed for
| 4 -y,eza NN change, but no
q fstta3 dES1 oven my wildes
Nl4asss4 SAal..4S. I imaginings woul,
have made m
dream that I would DO transferred
from IN inland town of Pennsylvani.
to an inland district of the island O!
Ceylon. Yet that is what happened
for business changes came 10 my
brother-in-law, with whom I had beer
working, and he WIS called to tho
far away country to look after piece
of property, and az his invitation
went with him, for would be needed
in making the surveys.
And when we were really there aad
l could look around, I thought that
would never become accustomed to
my strange surroundings. Everything
else might have become familiar to
me in time, but to SEQ farm work be-
ing done with elephants instead Of
horses--that would be surprise to
me as long, as L lived, thought.
Ahmed YVES the namo 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 so 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
oil day tomorrow. and possibly good
part Of the next day."
Glow do you get the wood down
the mountail?" l asked, for had seen
no other animal about the place ex.
cept the elephant.
"Ahmed carries it," "ho replied.
"We could not work the farm without
Ahmed"
And so the next day I ssv tho great,
clumsy animal, which ! had always as
'sociatoa with plains and jungles-
never with rocky sleeps Ct 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 bis huge feet firmly before trust.
ing his weight on them, and l was
"5tonished to note how much sagacity
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 be came down
from his first lourneyI thought he had
been using tho weapon o little too
freely. The poor animal was breath.
ing heavily, and one or two streams of
blood trickied down from his ears.
edo you have to punish him 10
severely as that?" I asked, es I pctted
Ahmed little and fed him few
morsels from the table. The man was
still irritable, and 10 answered mo
shortly.
II would like to kill him. He vexes
the soul from me. You must not feed
him you will spoil him."
Tho man was native, and though
he had lived among Europeans oil his
life there WAS still vindicsiye energy
in him did not like. But / refrained
from petting Ahmed, though the Great
ure never came near mo without ask
ing for notice.
Naturally vas much interested in
Ahmed; partly. suppose, because he
was the first tame elephant with whom
I had ever become intimately acquaint.
ed, and partly because I thought he
was cruelty treated.
I spoke to AR. Franklin about il
after the first few days, but he merely
laughed.
"Ihat's thing you have to leave to
the keepers, no 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 MS pretty we'll at his
mercy so far as the treatment of the
elephant is concerned. It's oil right,
I suppose: Elephants are tough, and
it would be hard to hurt them much."
And with this easy philosophy Mr..
franklin coutented himself. He would
not go within reach OF Ahmed, for he
was really afraid Of him, ard he kept
cautioning me.
''You can't trust elephants, he said
''Several that I know OF have gone
mad, one would think, and have killed
people, after having been so tame that
they have beon the ohildren's play.
things. You had better leave Ahmed
to Selim and take care Of yourself"
And I honestly tried to take his ad.
vice, and for number OF days did
nothing more than feed him little
when bis keepers hack was turned.
And it was this little kindness that