Daily camera., 1899-11-21
CIRCUS ELEPHANTS.
Some Interesting Points About the
Curious Creatures.
Their Uncertainty of Temper Makes
Them Dangerous CharGss-
How They Help IN
the Work.

The elephant men have to mind their
charges every hour of the day and
night. The bull" to use circus slang,
sleeps only about two hours, and often
1oes that on his feet. One fool African
elephant-they can't be taught to do
anything, and the commonest saying
about show is that they are not worth
the hay they eat-has been known TO go
three weeks without lying down at all
The elephant is always tidgeting about,
always swaying that ridiculous hulk Of
his. which seems to be clad in his big
brothers cast-off breeches. always
stirring up strife, and always picking
at something with his trunk. He might
loosen his stake and run wild. He must
have something to occupy his mind,
and so bales Of hay are always at hand
to be doled out to him. He must be
always scolded and talked to, and told
to keep out of that, or get back there,
or come out where he can be seen.
When heisn't being talked TO he is being
raped on the nose with bull hook"
An elephan; has a hide about an inch
thick, a temper that is as uncertain
as the toss of a coin, the cruelty of an
Apache, and the destructiveness of
tornado. Some wise and kind d-hearted
men in New York who couldn't bear
to see poor dumb brute suffer, decreed
that the bull hook" must not be used.
They didn't have to be with the ele-
plants all the time. The men who did
either hid the hook part in their hands
while the agents of the S. P. c. a. were
around, or displayed broomsticks that
would bring an elephant to time about
as soon as feather duster would stop
cyclone. The bull hook is shaped
like boat hook. 1t has straight
point This is to jab in where the skin
is tenderest, near the root of the tail.
1t is a sight well worth seeing to wit
ness Patsy Forepaugh (his name is
Mears, but he was with Addie Fore
paugh so long that people hardly know
what his right name isl get the ele-
plants to bunt the wagons up from the
basement of the Madison Square gar
den. He is the boss of all the herd,
short, stocky little man with quick
eye-he needs it in his business-and
something about his looks which says
him you had better make arrangements
to spend about six weeks in the hos
pital The workmen get the wagon
slowed around. so that it will go up the
inclined plane. Then they scatter like
trash before broom. Here comes
Patsy walking along with two ele-
plants, their attitude seeming to say:
I'VE don't want to" while Patsy seems
to say: This one right here. All to-
gether now" They make curious
noises. They sometimes whine SO that
you can locate the very spot it comes
from, and other times not so unlike
the last pedal key of church organ
Oftenest it is like an amateur trying
to blow q cornet for the first time.
They shuttle up to a wagon, put their
foreheads against it, and up it goes.
Patsy trots behind them, making
vicious downward jabs with the hook,
while he shouts: "Hooyah! hooyah!"
They scull their way along the inclined
plane and toddle down again for more.
Once l saw wagon half way up come
rolling down. while the elephants
turned tail and ran trumpeting with
terror. A lion inside, angry at having
his sleep broken, roared. That was all
Romey and Johnny wanted to hear.
They fed, Patsy after them with his
hook. and though they snufTed and
breathed hard. they had to come and
push that wagon up. Perhaps they
Will treasure that up and some day.
Well, some day they are sure tt get him.
Eugene Wood, in Ainslee's Magazine.