The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-01-26
SeIim's Elephant.

Du5 nOG even my WiiGe6G lmag
inings would have made me
dream that I would be trans
ferred from an inland town Of Penn
syivauia so an inland district Of the
island Of Ceylo0. Yet, that is what
happened; for business changes came
TO my brother in law, with whom I
had been working, and he was called
to that fer away country to look after
a piece of property, aud at his invita-
ton l went with him, for I would be
needed in making the surveys.
Aud when we were really there and
I could look around, I thought that I
would never become accustomed to
my strange surroundings. Every
thing else might have become familiar
to me in time, but to see farm work be-
ing done with elephants inatead of
horses -th8t would be q surprise me
long as I lived, I thought.
Ahmend was the name Of the tame
elephant which was being led past the
back door On the evening of my com
coming, and which paused there a
moment and held out his trunk inquis
itively as he saw nae.
"Selim must go up to the mountain
to bring some wood said Me-. Frank
ln, the manager Of tie farm, when he
was trying TO appoint a day for US to
begin the surveying. That will take
all day to morrow, and possibly a good
part Of the next day"
How do you get the wood down the
mountain7" I asked, for 1 had seen no
other animal about the place except
the elephant.
AHMED carries it" he replied. I'VE
Ahmed"
And 50 the next day l saw the great,
clumsy animal, which l had always as
ISOLATED with plains and ~Ingles-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, planting his
1 AuSO ACOb HLb419 OClOlC u uSG&uR Lbs
weight on them, and l was astonished
to note how much sagacity he showed
in his choice Of paths. Selim walked
beside him, with his ak on his shoulder
aud the iron prod in his hand, and
when he came down from his first
journey, l thought ne had been using
the weapon a little two freely. The
poor animal was breathing heavily,
and enc or two streams Of blood trick
led down from his ears.
DO you have 20 punish him so &C.
verely as tha52" I asked, az l petted
Ahmed a little and fed him a few
morsels from the table. The man was
still irritable, and he answered me
| shortly
= would like to kill him; he vexes
the soul from me You mustn't feed
him; you will spoil him"
The man was q native, and though
he had lived among Europeans all his
life there was still a %vindictive energy
in him I did not like. But I refrained
from petting Ahmed, though the crea.
ture never came near me without ask.
ing for notice.
Naturally I was much interested in
Ahmed partly, I suppose, because be
was the first tame elephant with whom
I had yer become Intimately acquejn-
ted, and partly because 1 thought he
was cruelty treated.
1 spoke tt Mr.. Franklin about it
after the first few days, but he merely
laughed.
That's a thing you have to leave to
the keepers" he said. las long as the
fellow doesn't kill the elephant you
have to 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
ia concerned. It's ali 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 go within reach of Ahmed, for he
was really afraid of him, and he kept
~cautioning me.
You can't trust elephants" be 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 children's play
things. You had better leave Ahmed
60 SelIm and take care Of yourself.
And l honestly tried to take his ad-
vice, and for a number of day 1 did
nothing more than feed him a little