The amount of destructive force possessed by rats, cannot be better exemplified than in the report given to the French Government, relating to the removal of the horse slaughter-houses, situated at Montfaucon, to a greater distance from Paris; one great objection being the disastrous consequences which might accrue to the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, if these voracious creatures were suddenly deprived of their usual sustenance. It is well known, that the mischief which they occasion is not confined to what they eat; but they undermine houses, burrow through dams, destroy drains, and commit incalculable havoc, in every place and in every thing.
The report states, that the carcases of horses killed one day, and amounting to thirty-five, would be found the next morning with the bones picked clean. A person of the name of Dusaussois, belonging to the establishment, made this experiment. A part of his yard was enclosed by solid walls, at the foot of which, several holes were made for the entrance and exit of the rats. Into this enclosure he put the bodies of three horses, and in the middle of the night he stopped up all the holes as quietly as he could; he then summoned several of his workmen, and each, armed with a torch and a stick, entered the yard, and carefully closed the door. They then commenced a general ma.s.sacre; in doing which, it was not necessary to take aim, for wherever the blow fell, it was sure to knock over a rat, none being allowed to escape by climbing over the walls. This experiment was repeated at intervals of a few days, and at the end of a month, 16,050 rats had been destroyed. In one night they killed 2,650; and yet this cannot give an entirely adequate idea of their number, for the yard in question did not cover more than a twentieth part of the s.p.a.ce allotted to killing horses. The rats in this place have made burrows for themselves, like catacombs; and so great is their number, that they have not found room close by the slaughter-houses. They have gone farther; and the paths to and from their dwellings may be traced across the neighbouring fields.
The Zoological Gardens in the Regent"s Park, are greatly infested by rats; but they are too cunning to stay there during the day time, when they might be more easily caught; so they in the morning cross the ca.n.a.l to the opposite sh.o.r.e, and return in the evening to commit their depredations.
The Water-rats, or Voles, eat fishes, frogs, and toads, besides other food, and do infinite mischief to banks and dams, which they undermine.
Their smell is so acute, that they will not approach a trap over which a hand has been pa.s.sed; and they are particularly abundant in all places where herrings are cured, leaving them when the season is over. The thing of all others which attracts rats of all kinds, is a piece of roast beef; of which they are so fond, that they have been known to kill a companion who has eaten some, that they might devour the contents of his stomach.
Dr. Carpenter was told by a trustworthy eyewitness, that she saw a number of rats safely convey some eggs down a flight of stairs, from a store room, to their own dwellings. They stationed themselves on each stair, and each egg, held in the fore paws, was handed from one rat to another the whole way. The rats who dipped their tails into a jar of treacle, into which they could not dip their paws, and suffered their companions to lick them afterwards, is a well known story.
Rats have often attacked children who have been left in a room by themselves; and infants have even lost their lives from the blood which their bites have caused to flow.
The following instance of sagacity deserves to be recorded. "During the great flood of the 4th of September, 1829, when the river Tyne was at it height, a number of people were a.s.sembled on its margin. A swan appeared with a black spot upon its plumage, which on its nearer approach proved to be a live rat. It is probable, that the latter had been borne into the water by some object, and observing the swan, had taken refuge on its back for safety. As soon as the swan reached the land, the rat leaped off and ran away."
Two ladies, friends of a near relative of my own, from whom I received an account of the circ.u.mstance, were walking in Regent-street, and were accosted by a man who requested them to buy a beautiful little dog, covered with long, white hair, which he carried in his arms. Such things are not uncommon in that part of London, and the ladies pa.s.sed on without heeding him. He followed, and repeated his entreaties, stating, that as it was the last he had to sell, they should have it at a reasonable price. They looked at the animal; it was really an exquisite little creature, and they were at last persuaded. The man took it home for them, received his money, and left the dog in the arms of one of the ladies. A short time elapsed, and the dog, which had been very quiet, in spite of a restless, bright eye, began to show symptoms of uneasiness, and as he ran about the room, exhibited some unusual movements, which rather alarmed the fair purchasers. At last, to their great dismay, the new dog ran squeaking up one of the window curtains, so that when the gentleman of the house returned home a few minutes after, he found the ladies in consternation, and right glad to have his a.s.sistance. He vigorously seized the animal, took out his penknife, cut off its covering, and displayed a large rat to their astonished eyes, and, of course to its own destruction.
MICE.
The round, yet delicate form of the Mouse, and the better expression of its countenance, make it an object much more worthy of admiration than the rat, of which it is but a diminished representative. It has the same destructive propensities, a.s.sembles also in vast numbers, and is equally carnivorous; but with all these, it is a more tamable and lovable animal. There is a white variety which is often nurtured as a pet. Mr.
Darwin says, that with other small Rodents, numbers live together in nearly desert places, as long as there are a few blades of vegetation left; and that they swarm on the borders of salt-lakes, where not a drop of fresh water can be procured. Some of them lay up stores of food, especially those which inhabit northern countries.
Field mice do an infinity of harm to young plantations, by nibbling off the young shoots, and, in order to catch them, pits from eighteen to twenty inches deep, are sunk in the soil, which are wider at the bottom than the top, so that they cannot easily get out. One hundred thousand were destroyed in this manner in the Forest of Dean, and about the same number in the New Forest. They make very beautiful round nests, of curiously plaited blades of wheat, split into narrow strips with their teeth, and in them will often be found nine little mice. These nests are suspended to some stalks, or thistles.
I can bear witness to the possibility of taming mice, for I kept six in a box for several months, which were so well fed, that they did not attempt to gnaw their dwelling. I had a sort of little cart constructed for them, with bone b.u.t.tons for wheels, and a packthread harness; and on being taken out of the box, they remained perfectly quiet till the harness was put upon them, and when that was done, they started at full gallop along the top of a square piano. Of course, care was taken to turn them back when they reached the end; but they soon learned to turn of their own accord, and performed their journey with as much regularity as well-trained horses. Death deprived me of my steeds; but I suspect it was in consequence of the injudicious cramming which I bestowed upon my favourites.
During an illness of some week"s duration, mice were to me a source both of amus.e.m.e.nt and annoyance; the former certainly predominating. A wainscot ledge ran round the room in which I lay, and it was their delight to scamper after one another upon this projection; but as the head of my curtain-less bed was close to it, they so frequently diverged on to my face, that I was obliged to have it drawn at least a yard from the wall. Sometimes also, they dragged away my pocket handkerchief, which, from not being immediately missed, was not recovered till sundry holes had been nibbled in it. A small table stood by my bed-side; having on it a basin full of cold tea, which formed my night beverage. On one occasion, my light was extinguished, and I heard a scratching against the legs of the table. I guessed the cause, and tried to frighten the climber away; but I suspect he mounted by the bed clothes, for I presently heard something flop into the tea. All was silent; and I concluded the intruder was drowned; but of course, whatever my thirst, I did not attempt to drink. When daylight came, there sat a poor mouse, holding up his little chin just above the liquid. Had he moved he must have been suffocated; and he had been all those hours in this position.
It was impossible to take away a life so hardly earned, and he was allowed to rejoin his companions.
The head-quarters of my mice seemed to be a large closet in one corner of the room, from which they constantly issued, and to which they retreated on the least alarm, for it was always accessible, in consequence of the door not closing properly. They often appeared to me to hold a council, for they would sally forth in a body; not giddily, and as if by chance, but with all the gravity of diplomatic characters, and form a circle, when deliberations commenced. They were carried on in a language between a squeak and a chatter, and occasionally one would rise, and place himself in another part of the circle. I would have given a great deal to have understood what was going on; but as I could not, I occasionally disturbed them by laughing, when they huddled back to the closet; and when I grew stronger, I sometimes dashed a pillow in among them, which made the poor senators breathless with agitation, and scuffle under the furniture, till they thought they might gain the closet in safety. I little imagined the deeds committed in that domicile, or I might not have been so indulgent to them; it was no less than gnawing holes in some valuable antelope, monkey, and leopard skins, which were to have been sent to my friends by the next departing vessel.
When I was allowed to eat, my appet.i.te was kindly tempted by dainties sent to me by friends, and which were placed under tin covers, on the top of a chest of drawers. The endeavours of my rodent companions to get at these were excessively droll; but as fast as they clambered an inch or two up the sides, the slippery metal caused them to slide down again; then they thought if they could but get to the top of the cover, they should succeed; so they mounted upon each others" shoulders, and accomplished the feat, but not their purpose; instead of getting inside, down they came in a body again, but they became so used to my laughter, that they did not mind it. Many of them combined together to push the cover off the dish; but it was too firmly retained by the rim to be moved. One day they thought they had triumphed, for the cover was not quite put down in one place. A summons was evidently given, and presently a number of little paws were inserted to raise it still higher; but instead of doing this, the cover slipped on to their paws, and it was very ludicrous to see their pain and mortification. After this they so far abandoned the attempt that only one would be occasionally seen walking round, as if by reconnoitering the fortress again, his genius would suggest a successful termination to the enterprise.
In an American scientific journal, there is a well-authenticated account of a strange and overpowering sensibility to music, as evinced by a mouse. It says, "that one evening, as a few officers on board a British man-of-war, in the harbour of Portsmouth, were seated round the fire, one of them began to play a plaintive air upon the violin. He had scarcely performed ten minutes, when a mouse, apparently frantic, made its appearance in the centre of the floor. The strange gestures of the little animal strongly excited the attention of the officers, who, with one consent, resolved to suffer it to continue its singular actions unmolested. Its exertions appeared to be greater every moment; it shook its head, leapt about, and exhibited signs of the most ecstatic delight.
It was observed that in proportion to the gradations of the tones to the soft point, the feelings of the animal appeared to be increased. After performing actions, which an animal so diminutive would, at first sight, seem incapable of, the little creature, to the astonishment of the delighted spectators, suddenly ceased to move, fell down, and expired without evincing any symptoms of pain."
ELEPHANTS.
The extraordinary thickness of skin which distinguishes certain animals, has induced naturalists to group them together, and call them Pachydermata. This group is again divided according to the still further peculiarities which some of them possess; and in the first subdivision are elephants; distinguished by an enormous prolongation of the upper lip and nose, into what is termed a trunk, or proboscis. The largest animals in the world are to be found among them; and according to some, they are the most sagacious. There is, however, a strong inclination in many to give the dog the highest place next to man, with regard to intellect.
The trunk of which I have just spoken, is formed of numbers of muscular fibres, amounting to at least 40,000, which take various directions, and cross each other in so many ways, that the whole forms one of the most flexible organs that can be conceived. It can be contracted, raised, depressed, curved, turned, or twisted round any object at the will of its possessor; and can lay hold of, and pick up the most minute and the thinnest substance, aided in such instances by the prolongation of its upper edge into what is called a finger, which protects the nostrils, and acts as a feeler. This trunk serves as a reservoir for holding liquid, which can be put into the mouth at pleasure, by inserting the end between the jaws; or for retaining it as long as may be wished, when it is discharged over any object which the elephant desires to inundate.
He occasionally pours it upon his own body, thereby not only cooling and refreshing himself, but getting rid of the numerous insects which lodge themselves in his hide. The trumpet-like noise, for which elephants are remarkable, proceeds from their trunk, and it serves in other ways to express their feelings, for with it they bestow their caresses. A tame elephant, in the Jardin des Plantes, took a great fancy to a little girl, who used to walk in the menagerie every morning with her nurse, before it was open to the public. It constantly happened that she and the elephant would be met together, and not only was his care to avoid trampling upon her most excessive, but if she were going the same way, he would gently insinuate the end of his proboscis under her arm, lovingly rest it there, and walk by her side. Great pains are always taken by these animals to guard their trunks from injury; and they constantly raise them as high in the air as they can, to prevent their coming in contact with any hurtful substance. With them food is procured and conveyed to the mouth; and they pull down, not only branches of trees, but, in many instances, the trees themselves.
The immense skull and neck, and in fact, the size of the body, required to sustain the weight of this ponderous organ, and the tusks with which they are provided, give elephants a clumsy, heavy look. The proportions of the head cause the eyes to look small; the weight of the head itself is, however, much diminished by the hollow cavities in front, which make it almost a vain attempt to try to kill an elephant by shooting him in the forehead; for the b.a.l.l.s lodge in these cells: they so protect the brain, which is the seat of feeling, that fearful b.u.t.tings are practised with impunity by these animals.
The teeth of elephants are remarkable; for they consist of only one large grinder on each side, and in each jaw, which looks like a bundle of smaller teeth, fastened together by intervening and surrounding plates of enamel. These grinders change frequently during the life of the animal, perhaps even six or eight times, as long as the jaw grows; and the new arrivals do not come from below, but are formed behind the old one, and push it out. There are no other teeth, properly so called, but in the upper jaw are two tusks, which supply the ivory of commerce, and which are changed once during the life of the animal. Their enormous weight and size are almost fabulous, and combined with the trunk, make us cease to wonder that the whole body should have strength alone as its attribute, and be entirely wanting in grace. One of these tusks, sold at Amsterdam, weighed 350 pounds, and with such weapons as these, aptly called _defenses_ by the French, they are able to uproot enormous trees, and catching their heaviest foes upon them, hurl them to the ground, or transfix them so as never to rise again. The ears are large, and hang flapping over the shoulders, and are very sensible to the touch; the hearing seems to be much more alive to grave than to acute sounds.
Four ungraceful, stiff columns, for legs, support the clumsy body. On each fore foot there are five toes, and on each hind foot four; each toe should shew a hoof, but sometimes the skin envelops and conceals them.
The sole is nearly round; and the skin of a foot exhibited by Mr. Gordon c.u.mming, is so large, that a child of three years of age could easily seat itself within it. The tail is small in circ.u.mference, flattened at the end, and has thick, stiff bristles at the extremity. These tails are sometimes used as whips, and at the court of Ashanti, when decorated with gold; they form part of the insignia of the Court. The skin is generally dark-coloured, and rough, having a few scattered hairs upon it; proofs, however, have been found, that a race of elephants thickly covered with hair, once existed. White elephants are occasionally met with, and it has been a.s.serted, that they are worshiped. Others have contradicted this, and declare, that they are only kept as a piece of royal state.
The usual height of elephants is from nine to ten feet; but many have been known to attain fourteen; the skeleton of that sent to the Czar Peter, by the king of Persia, and which is seen in the museum at St.
Petersburgh, is sixteen and a half, and there are records of elephants attaining the enormous height of twenty feet. When we think of the mountainous animal, as I have described the elephant to be, it seems inconsistent to say, that he is swift in his paces: in truth, he is not; a heavy trot being the fastest movement which he can accomplish. His enormous stride, however, gives him the advantage over lighter animals; and we have heard of a fast-galloping horse finding it difficult to escape from an elephant, even when urged to his utmost speed. The gait is most fatiguing and uncomfortable to those who ride him for the first few times, because he moves the two feet on the same side at once; and the larger the elephant, the more uncomfortable the movement. Bishop Heber, however, seems to have formed an exception in this respect, for he says, it was far from being disagreeable, and appeared to him to resemble being carried on men"s shoulders. It is supposed that the neck, where the driver places himself, is the easiest seat. He guides the animals by occasionally touching their ears, pressing his legs to the sides of their necks, p.r.i.c.king them with a pointed instrument, or knocking them with the handle; often, however, they are so docile, that a mere word will be sufficient.
The favourite habitation of the elephant is the forest, or green plain, near which is a river, or lake: water he must have, for both in freedom and captivity, bathing seems to be a necessary condition of his existence. This propensity reminds me of the often-repeated trick of the before-mentioned elephant of the Jardin des Plantes. His stable opened into a small enclosure, in the midst of which was a pond. In this pond he constantly laid himself, and was so hidden by the water, that nothing of him appeared, except the end of his proboscis, which it required an experienced eye to detect. The crowd often a.s.sembled round the enclosure of the "elephant"s park," as it was called, supposing they should see him issue from his stable. All at once, however, a copious shower would a.s.sail them, and ladies with their transparent bonnets, and gentlemen with their shining hats, were forced to seek shelter under the neighbouring trees, where they looked up at the cloudless sky, and wondered from whence the shower could come. When they directed their eyes towards the elephant"s pond, they saw him standing in the midst, evincing an awkward joy at the trick he had played. In process of time his pastime became generally known, and the moment the water rose from his trunk, his beholders ran away, which he also seemed to enjoy exceedingly, getting up as fast as he could to behold the bustle he had created. This same elephant had been landed from the vessel, which brought him from the East Indies, at Bordeaux, and the sailor lad, who had taken charge of him during the voyage, was appointed to conduct him through France to Paris. The rough, and sometimes paved roads, cut the poor animal"s feet, and a shoemaker was employed to make him four boots.
There was not much skill required, as no shape was necessary; but they answered the purpose, and were afterwards hung up in his stable to the great delight of the younger visitants to the Jardin, who often went expressly to see the elephant"s boots. When he and his guide stopped for the night, a mattress used to be thrown down on the floor for the latter; but, after a few nights, the elephant discovered how comfortable it was, and under pretense of sharing the accommodation, at length nightly pushed Auguste off, and stretched his own huge carca.s.s upon the mattress.
Constant differences between the Asiatic and African elephants have established them into separate species. The enamel of the grinders is so placed in the latter, as to form lozenges; and in the former, parallel-fluted ribbons. The ears of the African animal are much larger, and the shape of his forehead is more convex. Although it was from this country that the Romans obtained all their clever, well-trained elephants, the natives now never think of making them useful. Connected with this, I was once much amused by the proposal, seriously suggested, that if we English would go among the savage tribes of Africa, and tame some of their elephants, they would be so convinced of our superiority, that they would, without hesitation, submit to our dominion. This came from a learned king"s counsel, and was seriously uttered to one of his Majesty"s government, without exciting surprise in any but my experienced self. In our human impatience we are apt to think the progress we so much desire, comes slowly; but _could_ such an idea be _now_ entertained?
A curious propensity in the Indian elephant has been repeatedly noticed.
I mean the separation of a male elephant from all his companions, in order to lead a solitary existence. I am rather of opinion with some of the natives, that he has been turned away by them for his own misdeeds; but I know not if this will equally apply to the racc.o.o.n, the only other animal, I believe, concerning whom the same habit is recorded. At all events, the hermit elephant is particularly fierce and mischievous; and it becomes a matter of policy, or even necessity, to catch him. The Indians hunt him down, accompanied by two trained female elephants, who draw near to him as if unconscious of his presence, and begin to eat the surrounding food as a matter of course. If he join them, they lavish their caresses upon him, and while he is returning their blandishments, the hunters creep softly to his feet, and having tied them together, fasten him to a tree, or let him go loose, with merely the shackles round all his legs. Of course he is in a dreadful rage, especially when the females desert him; but hunger, thirst, and ineffectual struggles, at last subdue him; he is led away, and generally trained; but if his violent efforts should effect his liberation, he plunges into the forests, whither the hunters prudently do not again go to effect his capture. Some female elephants are also used to decoy wild males into inclosure"s, where they are secured; and there is a wholesale method of surrounding a herd by a number of men, who, by means of various noises, musketry, fire-works, drums and trumpets, drive the elephants into pens constructed for the purpose, and supplied with water; where the poor creatures are made to stay some time. The elephants become very furious; and as the strongest inclosure"s might give way to their overpowering strength, sentinels are placed all round, who light fires and make all the noises which the prisoners most dread, till they again become quiet.
Elephants, after being domesticated for years, will return to the forests, and resume their wild habits; but they never forget their education. Their former keepers have recognized them among their untamed companions, called them, and without hesitation, they have walked from the midst of their brethren, and quietly returned to their former habits, after a lapse of ten years. All are extremely sensible to the praises and caresses of those who attend to them, for whose sake they will make the most wonderful exertions. They are useful in transporting artillery and heavy baggage, and their docility and obedient performance of their duties, even when left to themselves, is perfect. They are not now used in war, except by some of the native princes; but they largely enter into the state processions, decked out with the most costly trappings of gold and silver, frontlets of jewels, gold and silver chains, and bells, etc. Travellers generally place a kind of canopy on their backs, in which two or three persons can sit; but the saddle is most used when hunting tigers. They dexterously catch these animals upon their tusks, if the attack be made in front, but the tiger will sometimes seize them in the flank, when if they cannot roll upon him, the elephants rush forward, and the tiger is generally shot. The a.s.sertion that the elephant and rhinoceros will fight a duel for the pleasure of the thing, does not seem to be borne out by experience; but combats have been seen between them, in which sometimes one, and sometimes the other, have gained the victory.
The quant.i.ty of food daily consumed by an elephant in captivity is calculated at 200 lbs; besides thirty-six pails of water. It consists of turnips, rice, chaff, bran, hay, and sea biscuit. Straw is allowed for his bed, which is generally consumed before morning; besides which, when they are in menageries they receive no small quant.i.ty of dainties from visitors. I never could enter the Rotunda in the Paris menagerie, without being furnished with bread or carrots for its inhabitants: the instant the Indian elephant caught sight of me, he used to sit down, get up again, make what was called a curtsy, and play other antics; and the instant I came before him, squat down again; his trunk raised, and his enormous mouth wide open to receive what I threw into it; the att.i.tude was so grotesque and imploring, that it was impossible to deny him. In their native condition, elephants eat the young juicy roots, and branches of trees; the latter of which, they beat two or three times before they take them, and they then tuck them into the left side of their mouths; they also devour gra.s.s, and bulbous roots, which they pull up with their proboscis. The vast numbers in which the herds a.s.semble, give some idea of the extent of the vegetable riches which can support such colossal eaters from generation to generation; the weight of an ordinary one will be 7000 lbs, and the mind becomes bewildered, in thinking of the quant.i.ty required for the daily sustenance of thousands of such animals. They open paths through forests which would be impenetrable to others; and seem to exercise much judgment in choosing their route, the large bull elephants taking the lead, crushing the jungle, tearing down the branches, and uprooting the trees; the females and the young sometimes amounting to three hundred, march after in single file, and the way thus made is as smooth as a gravel walk. They often carry branches of trees, with which they flap the insects from their bodies as they walk along.
A settler"s wife complained to Mr. Pringle very bitterly, of the destruction occasioned to her husband"s crops by the elephants; which she, with reason, said were too big to wrestle with, and they occasionally seemed to commit mischief from mere wantonness. In the same place, a troop came down one dark and rainy night to the outskirts of the village; but knowing that it was sometimes dangerous to encounter them, the inhabitants did not go out; although they heard them making a terrible bellowing and uproar. It appeared the next morning, that one of the elephants had fallen into an unfinished trench, which had no water in it, and did not know how to get out again. It is supposed, that his companions had pulled him out with their trunks; for there were clearly defined marks of their having stationed themselves on each side; some kneeling, and some standing, and that thus he had been hoisted up.
The remarkable escape of Lieut. Moodie is one of the most extraordinary encounters on record. A servant informed him that a large troop of elephants was in the vicinity, and that a party had gone out to attack them, so he started to join in the hunt; but losing his way in the jungle, he did not overtake them till they had driven the elephants from their first station. On leaving the jungle, he was going through a meadow on the banks of the Gualana, to the spot where the firing had begun, when he was suddenly warned of some danger, by the cry of "Take care" both in Dutch and English. He heard a crackling behind him, occasioned by the elephants breaking through the wood, which was accompanied by their screams. A large female elephant, and three of a smaller size, departed from the rest, and came towards him; but not being in a good position for firing, Mr. Moodie retreated from their direct path, to get a better place from which to take aim, and hoped they would not observe him. They, however, rapidly pursued him; he reserved his fire as a last resource, and turning off at a right angle, made for the banks of the river, intending to take refuge among the rocks on the other side. Before this, however, they were close upon him, screaming so tremendously that he was almost stunned by their noise. He turned upon them, and fired at the head of the largest; the powder had become damp, the gun hung fire, till he was in the act of taking it from his shoulder, when it went off, and the ball grazed the side of the large elephant"s head. She stopped for an instant, and then rushed furiously forward: whether struck down or not, he could never say; but Lieut. Moodie fell. The animal had only one tusk, which missed him as she rushed upon him; but it ploughed up the earth within an inch or two of his body; she then caught him by the middle with her trunk, threw him between her fore feet, and battered him with them for a short time; one of these huge feet once pressed him so much, that his bones bent under its weight. He did not lose his recollection, and he constantly was able to twitch himself on one side, and so avoid several blows. Two of his party came up and fired at her; one bullet alone touching her in the shoulder; her young ones then retreated, and she left her victim, finally knocking him with her hind feet as she went off. He got up, picked up his gun, and staggered away as fast as he could. She turned round, looked after him; and he then lay down in the long gra.s.s, and so eluded her observation.
A soldier of the Royal African Corps did not escape as Mr. Moodie did, for an elephant caught him with his trunk, carried him some distance, threw him down, brought his four feet together and trod and stamped upon him till he was dead. He left the body, then returned to it, knelt down upon, crushed and kneaded it once more; then he seized it with his trunk, bore it to the jungle, and threw it among the bushes.
One of the strongest instincts of the elephant is to try the strength of everything before he ventures upon it, and it is almost impossible to induce him to trust himself upon any surface which is not perfectly firm and steady. Therefore the well-authenticated story is the more extraordinary of a rope-dancing, or rather walking elephant, who not only walked forwards, but backwards upon a suspended rope.
A female elephant, seven years old, on being brought to the Adelphi, first ascertained the safety of the stage, and then began to rehea.r.s.e the parts she used to play in Paris. Having succeeded so well in this place, she took a higher walk of performances at the Coburg theatre, where she rehea.r.s.ed for three weeks, then distinguished the actors, learnt to place the crown on the head of the lawful king, and feasted at his banquet with perfect propriety. All this was taught her by kindness.
A poor little calf elephant hovered about the body of its mother after she had been killed, making the most mournful noises; the herd had deserted them, and they had pa.s.sed the night in the forest. The poor thing, when the hunters came up, entwined its little proboscis about their legs, showed its delight at their approach by many ungainly antics, then went to the body of its mother, scaring away the vultures; ran round it with every mark of grief, and tried to raise it with its trunk. Of course the confidence of the baby elephant was not abused, though its wishes for aid towards its mother, could not be gratified.
The elephants of Ceylon have always been reckoned the best; and instances of their memory are quite extraordinary. A favourite mode of execution among the Canadians, when they were masters of the island, was to make the elephants trample upon the criminals, so as to crush their limbs first, and by avoiding the vital parts prolong their agony. When Mr. Sirr was there, he saw one of these elephant executioners. The word of command, "Slay the wretch!" was given to him; upon which he raised his trunk, pretended to twist it round a body, then slowly raised one of his fore feet, and placed it where the limbs of the victim would have been; then he stood motionless with his trunk in the air. He was ordered to complete his work, and he placed one foot as if on the man"s abdomen, and another as if on his head, with apparently sufficient force to destroy life. The elephant had not done this for thirty-five years, and yet recollected the whole. They attain a great age, and have been known to live more than a hundred years.
Major Rogers, who had killed one thousand four hundred elephants, shot one on whom the ball only made a flesh wound; the creature, in a fury, uttered its trumpet-like shriek, seized the Major with his trunk, carried him to a deep hole, dashed him into it, and trampled upon him, breaking his right arm in two places, and several of his ribs. He must have been killed if the hole had been large enough to give the elephant room to exercise his whole strength. He became senseless; but when he came to himself, found the elephant gone, and friends about him: he knew what had happened, and said he had always made up his mind, in case of such an accident, to remain quite pa.s.sive, as affording the best chance of escape--and his plan answered.
Nothing done to elephants by way of insult, teasing, or unkindness, is ever forgotten or forgiven by them, and they are sure to take an opportunity of revenging themselves. On the other hand, kindness is equally remembered and appreciated; an awkward proof of which occurred to a lady, who, when she frequently went to see a male elephant, carried to him bread, apples, and brandy. To show his grat.i.tude for these, he took her up with his trunk one day, and seated her on his back. As she could not enjoy this testimonial of his feelings, she uttered the most piercing shrieks, and implored the a.s.sistance of those around. His keepers, however, advised her not to stir, and there she was obliged to wait till he again encircled her with his trunk, and put her on the ground in safety. Of the attachment of elephants to each other, a proof was given by two in the Jardin des Plantes, who had been with difficulty separated during their journey thither from Holland. They were placed in two apartments, divided by a portcullis. The male soon found out that this was fastened only by a perpendicular bolt, which he soon raised, and then rushed into the other room. The joy of the two at meeting can scarcely be described: their cries of joy shook the whole building, and they blew air from their trunks resembling the blasts from smiths"
bellows. The female moved her ears with great rapidity, and entwined her trunk round the body of the male; she kept the end motionless for a long time close to his ear, and after holding it again round his body, applied it to her own mouth. The male encircled her with his trunk, and shed tears. They were afterwards kept in the same apartment; and their attachment was never interrupted.
The indignation of elephants at being laughed at or deceived, has been manifested very often; and sometimes they punish the offenders with death; at others, they seem perfectly to understand in what way their retaliation will take most effect, without inflicting so serious a reproof.
An artist in Paris was anxious to draw one of the elephants of the menagerie there; with his trunk in the air, and his mouth wide open.
After throwing fruit and vegetables in for some time, to make him repeat the att.i.tude, his keeper only pretended to do so, fearing to give him too much food. The elephant at last became irritated, and perfectly understood that the artist was the cause of his annoyance; he, therefore, turned round upon him, and dashed a quant.i.ty of water over the paper on which he was drawing. It is chiefly in animals of greatest intelligence that we find the greatest affection and grat.i.tude; elephants have sometimes refused to eat, and have pined to death when separated from their favourite keepers, and they are never obliterated from their memory. Their humanity is also frequently conspicuous; and we are told of one who, on being ordered to walk over the bodies of some sick persons, at first refused to advance; and then on being goaded by his driver, gently took the poor men up with his trunk, and laid them on one side, so that he could not do them any injury.
The following is another fearful instance of their power and vengeance, related by Mr. Burch.e.l.l, a South African traveller. "Carl Krieger was a fearless hunter, and being an excellent marksman, often ventured into the most dangerous situations. One day, having with his party pursued an elephant which he had wounded, the irritated animal suddenly turned round, and singling out from the rest the person by whom he had been injured, seized him with his trunk, and lifting his wretched victim high in the air, dashed him with dreadful force to the ground. His companions, struck with horror, fled precipitately from the fatal scene, unable to look back upon the rest of the dreadful tragedy; but on the following day, they repaired to the spot, where they collected the few bones that could be found, and buried them. The enraged animal had not only literally trampled Krieger"s body to pieces, but did not feel its vengeance satisfied till it had pounded the very flesh and bones into the dust, so that nothing of the unfortunate man remained excepting a few of the latter, which made most resistance from their size."
M. Frederic Cuvier, in his admirable essay on the "Domestication of Animals," writes as follows, concerning an elephant in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes. The care of this animal had been confided, when he was only three or four years old, to a young person, who taught him a number of those tricks which amuse the public. The animal loved him so much, as not only to be perfectly obedient to all his commands, but to be unhappy out of his presence. He rejected the kindness of every one else, and even was with difficulty persuaded to eat the food presented to him.