Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1916-06-29
AN ELEPHANT ride
The First Try on a Padded Animal
Is a Fearful Ordeal.
FEELS LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.

and Quicksands Terrify Them.
Elephant riding is n thing that, like
guessing peoples names correctly. re-
quires a good deal of practice. The
first ride is a thing never to be for
gotten, more especially If 1t happens
to be on pad elephant-that Is to
say, one that carries no howdah or
seat of any kind except an immense.
hard. lumpy mattress, which is fasten-
ed on by four large rough ropes, pulled
as taut as mans strength can pull
them. If there are two or three other
persons already mounted you get COR
ner of this mattress to sit on and are
told to hold on by the ropes.
Meanwhile the elephant is getting
tired of kneeling and keeps making
heaving motions unpleasantly sugges-
tive of the sea. You strive wildly to
get your fingers under one of the
ropes and are asked impatiently If you
are ready.
You do not feel Mt all ready or likely
ever to be ready, for your seat is I'M
certain and slippery, and for the life
of you you cannot get fair hold on
the rope.
Breaking your nails In last des-
perate effort. you say feebly that you
are ready, when with sudden jerk,
that seems TO drag all your bones out
of their sockets, you are tilted up on
steep slope, about as pleasant to sit on
as the side of slate roof
But you have no time to enjoy the
position, for there comes another foun-
dering jerk that knocks your hat over
your eyes and throws you violently
against your next neighbor. after
which you find your seat is level again.
and it presently dawns upon you that
this earthquake was, in truth. merely
the elephants customary way of ris-
ing. He Is now slowly and solcmnly
stalking onward as you are aware by
feeling your spine rhythmically and
soundlessly dislocated mt each noiselcss
step.
At first 1t seems to you as odd that
you should ever come TO like riding an
elephant as that GELS should come to
like being skinned, and your friends
assurance that you will ere long be
able to dispense with the aid of ropes
and 20 on chatting and even smiling
while that colossal uphcaval takes
place falls on the ear as an idle tale.
Nevertheless it is the truth. Before
week is over you hardly notice the
getting up or the knecling down. You
rarely take hold of a rope. and you are
Indifferent to almost any angle of
steepness. You learn to appreciate the
restfulness Of being on n colossus that
will never stumble, never shy, never
frolic and with whose guidance you
have no more TO do than you have with
that of n ship mt sea
Even when an elephant Is mutinous
ne is so in solemn. well considered
manner. He will not run away. though,
he will on occasion stride away, and n
sufficient absurd sight it is. though not
to those on his back.
! once saw an elephant try conclu
sions with his mahout and stride of
defiantly in wrong direction till the
savage blows rained upon his head by
the driver with his heavy iron hook
made him change his tactics. He pull
ed up short and began rocking his body
violently TO and fro till first one rider
and then another was sent flying unit
all We're gone
The sight of them strewing tn,
ground around him and rucfully rub
bing their bruises assuaged his anger
An elephantine smile lit up his rugged
face. and he once more rendered cheer
ful obedience to his mahout.
Considering his strength and size
the elephant 10 timorous beast. The,
are greatly alarmed by small pigs, anC
i have known an otherwise sensibl,
elephant utterly routed by a litter o
piglings scampering between his leg'
in thick grass jungle.
Now, a pigling can never have hur
an elephant. Therefore whence hi
fear? Can it be their latent powers O
squealing?
Certain it is that pigs share will
quicksands the power of terrifying al
elephant. His reasons for fearin!
quicksands are weighty ones, and it Il
impossible not to sympathiZe with th
huge beasts agony of terror when III
finds himself on unsound ground.
A spot was pointed out to us alonI
the river bank mt Fyzabad, where
year ago an elephant had got into
quicksand and been lost.
All that could be done to save hin
was done. but the treacherous SAM
would not forego its victim Fou
days he took to sink out Of sight, an,
then nothing could he seen of him bu
the tip of his trunk, still piteousl
beckoning in vain for help. At las
the cruel sand closed over that, and hi
last agony was ended.-St Paul Pic
neer-Press.