Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-06-10

Seu lew uayS ago hadn't been
instrumental in the disappearance
OF divers and sundry bags of oats.
ana, as l walked around toward the
other end Of the elephant house
wondered what should do to pun-
ish the thieves. The big one had
I nad painful operation performed a
lew months before, and | thought
that any sight of the instruments
mat had been used at that time
would give her good fright. When
reached my own sleeping room |
purposely made noise and heard
the shuflling feet of sly little Pete as
nc Shambled back to his place. He
picked his stake up, put it down i'm
the ground and would have put il
1t through the ring in the chain
III he had had time. When | came
along he was leaning against tho
wall asleep. | gave him gentle
PROD and he awakened suddenly,
with that sleepy stare a person has
when awakened from slumber. But
he soon knew that | was on to him,
Tor when / ordered him to open his
mouth, he 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
MIN, but walked over to big Baby
Ion. She was his partner in crime,
hut she was playing possum, too. l
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 np
and packed in with them. She was
sheepish and ashamed, assure YOU,
If ever an elephant put on that ex-
preston. TO punish her I ordered
her to sit down and open her mouth,
ana made motion as if to pass a
great pair Of forceps into it, which
had been used during the operation
l referred to. She shut her mouth
and cried like baby, and was so
thoroughly frightened that she never
trespassed again. But that silly lit.
tie Pete-why, he is more trouble
than the entire herd, and he lust
gets loose whenever he wants TO.
Another instance of the reason
ing power Of the elephant same to
my notice last season when we were
out in Iowa. Badly, the largest ele-
phant ever known in captivity, has
half a car to himselfto ride in. We
usually load the elephants by means
OF a huge gang plank, or runway,
fastened to the doorsill of the car
and reaching to the ground, a dis
tance of 80 feet away. Up this in
clined plane The elephants walk, and
take their places in the car. Baldy
found that he could get into his car
much easier in his own way than in
the way that we had provided, but
not being able to talk, couldn't tell
us about it. He couldn't explain
that the door was too low, and that
he bumped his head every time he
went in. Despairing of being able
to explain these things to us, he
reasoned out a plan. He simply
stepped off the gang plank one night
put his huge head under it, and
showed it out ofthe way. Then, be-
fore the keepers could imagine what
he was about to do, he walked to the
car door, raised his fore feet. in the
air, planted them firmly within the
car and slowly climbed in. You see
by removing the gang plank. he had
all the height from the ground to
the doorsill gained. He could then
put his head in first, then his fore
feet, and then Chamber in mt his ease
without humping his gigantic head
lie knew more than we did, and
ever since that time he has loaded
himself in his car in his own way.
The spirit of emulation is strong
In an elephant. The smaller mem.
bers of the herd saw Badly get into
the car that way, and they all want.
ed to try it. 1t wasn't necessary fol-
them, but nevertheless they wanted
to do 1t that way. The only trouble
was that they were not big enough
to do his trick, SO they were satisfied
to take the big plank back again, af
ter they had tried it his way. Now
they walk up the runway of their owr
volition and invariably take theil
proper places in the line. If the
leader is not there, not having ar
rived from the lot, the others will
wait till he comes. AS soon as he
goes up the walk they follow him
ike so many sheep. psf. Loui
Globe Democrat.
NJ