Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-12

ernment property and was hired to the
railroad company at so much per day.
Nassik had been his mahout for 10 years,
but he was no more. He had incurred
serious penalty by fleeing, and party
was made up to bring him back, but they
hunted in vain. In four weeks the In
cident was almost forgotten.
In time the great iron beams were
stretched from pier to pier. and cross
beams and girders were put In place,
and from sunup to sundown the hot
air quivered under the strokes of the
scores of hammers. The approaches
we're filled in and spans laid to the piers
and the chief engineer looked over his
work with a smile of satisfaction
"All is going well,' he said to himself
"In another 60 days tho iron horse will
be snorting across this structure. The
Goomtree is on the rise and a flood will
come, but we need not fear 1t. We
cleared it's banks of drlftwood for so
miles last year. Nothing here can dam
its waters back and imperil the bridge"
An hour after Nassik had been pun
ished no had clasped his arms around
the trunk of his elephant and said:
"Bundara, l have been disgraced be-
fore thousand men because you told
me what the wild elephant said. l do
not believe you lied, hut let us go to
the 1unEles and be by ourselves. II
the Goomtree Is fretted and harassed
then she will take revenge. We should
not be punished for what the sahibs are
doing"
The pair fed afar. Sometimes they
were alone and sometimes in the COM
pany of wild elephants. The untamed
beasts had no fear of Nassk. For
weeks they hid in the jungle or roamed
through the forests.
Light of my soul" began Nassik one
day "the time for tho flood in the Coon
tree draws near, Whisper it to all your
friends that we may seek Its banks and
be ready for work. Whisper 1t to twenty.
thirty, nifty. We cannot have too much
help will rest here for three days. and
do you go among your kind and spread
the news"
At the end OF the third day Bundara
returned. and with him We're seventy
elephants. He had told his story well.
Three days later all were at work on
the banks of the river fifty miles above
the bridge. The waters were rising, but
| Nasslk knew to an inch how high they
would come before standing still for
day and then beginning to recede. Under
his directions the elephants began to
work. Such trees as they could uproot
and such logs as they could roll together
with thousands of carloads of smaller
stun, were deposited Just below high
water mark. They piled banks high for
five miles.
1T is we'll, my children" said Mas
six The waters will take everything
at their flood. and then down at the
bridge they will see what they will see.
Let us now rest from our labOrs."
One morning when high water marx
was reached the chief engineer sneered
at the turgid food Two hours later
there was a wild alarm. The face OF
the waters was hidden by drift Never
had man seen so much OF IT, 1t came
rushing down like a wall. Some passed
between the piers at first and went crash
ing along. but presently there was
swirling about and a wedging of mighty
| trees, and five minutes later there was a
block, In half an hour IL extended back
| a mile. and the force of a million horses
was pressing against It. For a quarter OF
an hour the handiwOrk of man with,
stood the strain of the elements. Then
| there was a crash and a roar, and the
/ current of the Goomtree flowed on as IL
/ man had never been.
Kim Nasslk had been whipped, and he
/ had revenged himself,
Copyright, 19l5)