nd rainy night, close to the outskirts
of the village. The missionaries heard them bellowing, and making an
extraordinary noise, for a long time, at the upper end of the orchard;
but, knowing well how dangerous it is to encounter these powerful
animals in the night, they kept close within their houses till
daylight. Next morning, on their examining the spot where they had
heard the elephants, they discovered the cause of all this nocturnal
uproar. There was at this spot a ditch or trench, about four or five
feet in width, and nearly fourteen feet in depth, which the industrious
missionaries had recently cut through the banks of the river, on
purpose to lead out water to irrigate some part of their garden, and to
drive a corn-mill. Into this trench, which was still unfinished, and
without water, one of the elephants had evidently fallen, for the marks
of his feet were distinctly visible at the bottom, as well as the
impress of his huge body on the sides.

"How he had got into it, was not easy to conjecture; but how, being
once in, he ever contrived to get out again, was the marvel. By his own
unaided efforts it was obviously impossible for such an animal to have
extricated himself. Could his comrades, then, have assisted him? There
can be no question that they had, though by what means, unless by
hauling him out with their trunks, it would not be easy to conjecture;
and, in corroboration of this supposition, on examining the spot
myself, I found the edges of this trench deeply indented with numerous
vestiges, as if the other elephants had stationed themselves on either
side,--some of them kneeling, and others on their feet,--and had thus,
by united efforts, and probably after many failures, hoisted their
unlucky brother out of the pit."

We are told that the Emperor Domitian had a troop of elephants
disciplined to dance to the sound of music; and that one of them, which
had been beaten for not having his lesson perfect, was observed, on the
following night, to be practising by himself in a meadow.

The elephant recently exhibited in New York was fed by a young girl
with cakes and apples. While in the act of pulling an apple from her
bag, she drew out her ivory card-case, which fell, unobserved, in the
sawdust of the ring. At the close of the performances, the crowd opened
to let the elephant pass out; but, instead of proceeding as usual, he
turned aside, and thrust his trunk in the midst of a group of ladies
and gentl