ing him on board
of the transport. A raft was made, and he was very unwillingly
persuaded to trust his huge carcass upon it; he was then towed off with
about thirty of the natives on the raft, attending him; the largest
purchases and blocks were procured to hoist him in, the mainyards doubly
secured, and the fall brought to the capstern. The elephant had been
properly slung, the capstern was manned, and his huge bulk was lifted in
the air, but he had not risen a foot before the ropes gave way, and down
he came again on the raft with a heavy surge, a novelty which he did not
appear to approve of. A new fall was rove, and they again manned the
capstern; this time the tackle held, and up went the gentleman in the
air; but he had not forgotten the previous accident, and upon what
ground it is impossible to say, he ascribed his treatment to the
natives, who were assisting him on the raft. As he slowly mounted in
the air, he looked about him very wroth, his eyes and his trunk being
the only portions of his frame at liberty. These he turned about in
every direction as he ascended--at last, as he passed by the main
channels, he perceived the half of a maintop-sail yard, which had been
carried away in the slings, lying on the goose-necks; it was a weapon
that suited him admirably; he seized hold of it, and whirling it once
round with his trunk, directed the piece of wood with such good aim,
that he swept about twenty of the natives off the raft, to take their
chance with a strong tide and plenty of alligators. It was the
self-possession of the animal which I admired so much, swinging in the
air in so unusual a position for an elephant, he was as collected as if
he had been roaming in his own wild forests. He arrived and was
disembarked at Rangoon, and it was an amusement to me, whenever I could
find time to watch this animal, and two others much smaller in size who
were with him; but he was my particular pet. Perhaps the reader will
like to have the diary of an elephant when not on active service. At
what time animals get up who never lie down without being ordered, it is
not very easy to say. The elephants are stalled at the foot of some
large tree, which shelters them during the day from the extreme heat of
the sun; they stand under this tree, to which they are chained by their
hind legs. Early in the morning the keeper makes his appearance from
his hovel, and throws the respective keys down to the elephants, who
imm