The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-02-11
Elephants Abaft

a ILL OiC ctlOL6 Pdoh VI LIE
w thumb the captain tamped down
the tobacco in the bowl of his stubby
briar pipe. He struck a match. There
was silence among his boy admirers
until the pipe was under full seaway
and drawing properly.
Most of you boys saw the ele-
plants up in the circus yesterday" The
captain meditated a moment. But
boys, there Is as much difference be-
tween these Indian elephants which
the circus owns and real, live, STAN
peding. battling African elephant as
there is between your grandma's pussy
cat and live, spittin', wildwoods bob
cat.
"There isn't an African elephant In
captivity today. That shows you what
sort of fighters they are.
"Of course, now and then, one of
them has been trapped. Several times
men have brought them out from the
jungles alive. There was one like
that
"We had been up the Congo river
on the African west coast Our ship
was an old three-masted schooner.
She had belonged to a man who liked
fancy trimmings, and her decks and
cabin were cluttered up with carved
woodwork. which may have added to
her good looks, but did not add any
to her ease Of handling or safety in
q heavy sea.
eve were tramping 1t. Our cap
tain and owner was one of those who
think that it's better to take long risks
and win big, rather than go In for
safe thing which only stands to show
a small profit.
Ivory was our present aim. hut
there was little of it to be shipped that
year. Therefore 1t was no more than
natural that the captain should jump
at the chance of some big money to
be made by taking boatload of AMI
mails across to the States. The Of
Ter looked good to him. The animals
were finally got aboard and we were
on our way.
"You would have laughed and cried
both If you could have seen that cargo.
There was a funny little zebra who
brayed about twenty-five hours out Of
the twenty-four. and who tried dill
gently to kick the door of his stable
off its hinges. Then there was
sick giraffe which tottered to and fro
on its ridiculous high legs and looked
at you with great brown eyes till you
wanted to grab him round the neck
and tell him to perk up and every
thing would be all right. There were
these, and a lot of others-including
q real African jungle elephant.
THAT elephant was caution. He
wouldn't eat. He wouldn't sleep
Even though he was loaded down with
weights and trussed up with heavy
iron chains. not man of the ma
tive crew would go near him. His
eyes were red. and his trunk and tail
which were about the only parts of
him not tied fast-were always swish
Ing angrily back and forth.
For three days we sailed down the
river. On the evening of the fourth
day we sighted salt water and pre-
pared TO head into the open sea. When
twilight fell we were perhaps four
miles from land. A moderately heavy
swell was running, and the captain
himself was on the bridge taking a
last look about. before going below to
his dinner.
How that African elephant broke
loose l can't tell Men who saw him
through the twilight told conflicting
tales One of the lascar deckhands
said he grew twice his natural size and
that his red eyes shot green flames one
to FIVE feet from his head.
"But we all knew that he was free
by the hubbub and shouting. above
which his wild trumpeting rose thun'
derously and triumphant.
Wood. canvas, chains. ropes. all !
were rent and pushed aside. out into
the main deck charged the giant brute
His distended ears stood out stiff from
his head ike huge seashells. His |
eyes glowered. He was stark mad
Against the wooden rail he plunged. /
1t gave way. He plunged overheard |
in monstrous. splashing dive. Up |
he came. Then he set out swimming.
Straight toward the distant shore he
vent A long time afterward we saw
him in the moonlight through our
glasses climb up the sandy beach and
stride back again into his jungle
loma"