AN ELEPHANT SUPPRESSING A MUTINY.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 2, Issue 90, 21 September 1868, Page 227

AN ELEPHANT SUPPRESSING A MUTINY.

(From tlie Bristol Times.) A shobt time ago, a very fine specimen of the Asiatic elephant (Elephas Indicus) was safely landed at Southampton, and was purchased by Mr A. Bairgrieve, tlie acting proprietor of Queen’s Menagerie (Wombwell’s Royal No. 1). The animal is an exceedingly fine one, standing upwards of 6 feet in with splendid tusks. It is of the male sex, and between three and four years of age. It was shipped at Bombay, and was under tbe charge of a Sumatrian named Bamee Jhandeegar (familiarly known on board by the term “Bamy”) .to whom the elephant was particularly attached, and who had brought the huge brute under perfect subjection. During the first few days after the ship had cleared the land everything went on perfectly satisfactory, but, unfortunately, heavy weather coming on, a spirit of insubordination was displayed by several of the crew. The would-be mutineers assembled together one evening, near the wheel-house on .the main deck, close to where the elephant was chained, and held council as to their future proceedings. The keeper Bamy, lying at the side of the animal, feigned sleep, although he paid attention to what the disaffected spirits were saying. He heard the whole details of a most diabolical plot, to murder the captain and a greater portion of the crew and passengers,..and he ascertained that he (Bamy) was one of the selected ones who were thus appointed, to be ruthlessly massacred. The onslaught was to be made when the watch was changed that night. No time, was' to be lost in warning the . captain of the danger, but it was utterly, impossible for Bamy to proceed to the state cabin without. incurring the greatest possible risk, inasmuch, as be would’have been compelled to'pass through the midst of the:plotting rascals, and they would certainly not have scrupled in effectually silencing on the spot one whom they had themselves selected for slaughter.. Tbe wily keeper, however, took a wiser course, and as it eventually turned out a very • serviceable one. Noiselessly unfastening the ohaiii.which hound theelephaafs fore legs, Bamy set the animal .at liberty, and springing to. bis .feet, in ah ’instant he bounded in the midst of the mutineers, followed by the elephant. '■ Giving a signal tp ; tlje intelligent brute,: it; laid about it right and left ..with its trunk, and the-astonished sailors were quiddy prostrated' on tke-deck, wounded

nhd|. shouting loudly - for inerty. The capfc£m, hearing the disturb banco, was soon bmthe spot, and having' been made acquaint|d with the facts of the case,, caused the: mutineers to be placed in rions, to be dealt'with at the first port at which they touched! The wounds caused by-the animal’s trank were somewhat fear? ful. In addition to the fact detailed above* the-elephant gave many proofs on thevoyage .of his intelligence and sagaoity. On one occasion, during|a heavy gale of wind, he saved a maflTfrom a watery grave by seizing him by his jacket just as he was slipping from off the bulwark's ; and on another he prevented the first mate of the vessel being severely bitten by a ferocious mastiff belonging to one of the passengers. The brute was flying at the throat of the man, when his spring was interrupted by the elephant, which, taking firm- hold of the dog with his trunk, hurled • him over the bulwarks of ; the ship into the ocean. Many other instances of the animal’s sagacity might be recorded, but what we have named are quite sufficient to awaken a great curiosity to witness the hero of so many adventures.