them fall, come and give me notice." Then he
left me, and returned to the town, and I remained upon the tree all
night.

In the morning I shot one of the many elephants that passed under the
tree, and when the others had left it dead, I went into the town and
told my patron of my success, which pleased him greatly. Then we
returned, and dug a hole for the elephant, in which my patron meant to
leave it until it was rotten, when he would take its teeth and trade
with them.

For two months I did this service. One morning I was amazed to see
that the elephants, instead of passing by, stopped and came towards my
tree with a horrible noise, in such numbers that the plain was
covered, and shook under them. They surrounded the tree, with their
trunks uplifted, and all fixed their eyes upon me. This frightened me
so that my bow and arrows fell out of my hand.

My fears were not without cause, for soon one of the largest of the
elephants put his trunk round the foot of the tree, plucked it up, and
threw it on the ground. I fell with the tree, and the elephant, taking
me up with his trunk, laid me on his back, where I sat more like one
dead than alive. He put himself at the head of the rest, who followed
him in line, carried me some distance, then laid me down on the
ground, and retired with all the others. When they were gone, I got
up, and found that I was upon a long and broad hill, almost covered
with the bones and teeth of elephants. I doubted not but that this was
their burial place, and that they carried me thither on purpose to
tell me that I should no longer kill them, now that I knew where to
get their teeth without doing them harm. I did not stay on the hill,
but turned towards the city, and, traveling a day and a night, came to
my patron.

He had believed me dead, for he had found the tree pulled up in the
forest, and my bow and arrows on the ground. When he had heard of my
escape, we set out for the hill, and brought back as many teeth as an
elephant could bear. Then my master told me how many slaves had been
killed by the elephants, and blessed me for making him and his whole
city rich. "I can treat you no more as a slave," he said, "but as a
brother. I give you your liberty henceforth. I will also give you
riches."

To this I answered that the only reward I wished was leave to return
to my own country. "Very well," said he, "the monsoon will soon bring
ships for ivory. Then I will send you home."

While wai