ELEPHANTS MINDING THE BABY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1613, 4 November 1882, Page 2 (Supplement)

ELEPHANTS MINDING THE BABY.

There js nothing by any means, uncommon or incredibly, in, the stories which have been, reported, says' Buokland, about, the children of ,a mahout -being pared f^by thfc mahout's, elephant., r It iSjahyaysjelfgdient to employ a teamed mahout if) you can/with a hardworking wife and two or, three children. The iwhole family become, 'ai it were, parasites to> thej^ephan|l{y whom-ffiey earn v their living. It .is bito'Wflue^tioiLof .^degree to what. extent an elepha£ft may be'lriistedfwith a.baby ; but il'ihare^ieen a^bab^^pl^c^'i by, its, pother fBy)teji^6sll^ pare, and witfim rea^iof ats^trunk, whilsfc phe mother ' s to>*fetch, /w^ter.t or ,-to get ,wdbd !or jftvlvftl orAWo***»woiilolf bo, likfily* toipicK up &ud

lously familiar withikand take ,all-Jcufdsvol liberties with it, yhion^the'elephant I 'seems tb^ endure on the principle that lit'doeil not hurt her, while it amuses the child. - You 'see, a' little naked black imp about' two fee>high standing on the elephant's bare backhand taking it' 'down to the water to bathe, vqci-* ferating all 1 the time, in the most unbecoming' terms of > native abusive language. ■ , On' arriving at the" water, 'the elephant, ostensibly in obedience to the imp's command, lies 'down and enjoys itself, just leaving a part of its bodyj-llke a small island, above water, on which the small imp stands and shouts, and shouts all the more if so be that he has several companions of ,his own age, also in charge of their elephants, all wallowing in the water around him: , If the imp slips off his island, the elephant's trunk promptly replaces him in safety. These little urchins, as they grow up, become first mates to mahouts, and eventually arrive at the dignity' of being mahouts. The wife of a mahout is almost always a great favorite with her elephant, and I remember a case in which the wife of a mahout who was killed by bis elephant (I believe more by accident than from actual _ malice) succeeded in quieting the beast, which seemed to understand the poor woman's anguish at the death of her husband, and endeavored in its elephantine way to make amends for its offence. It is nothing new to say that the elephant is the most sagacious of animals, and those who have had most to_ do with them can not help liking and admiring them.