was damaged
for ever in everybody's estimation, that Peri's husband, the proud
Airavati, lineal descendant of Indra's own favourite elephant, having
witnessed her shame, would renounce his spouse, and that she had better
die.... Yells and bitter tears were his only answer to all remonstrances
of our companions. In vain we tried to persuade him that the "proud
Airavati" did not show the slightest disposition to be so cruel, in vain
we pointed out to him that all this time both elephants stood quietly
together, Airavati even at this critical moment rubbing his trunk
affectionately against Peri's neck, and Peri not looking in the least
discomfited by the accident to her tail. All this was of no avail! Our
friend Narayan lost his patience at last. He was a man of extraordinary
muscular strength and took recourse to a last original means. With one
hand he threw down a silver rupee, with the other he seized the mahout's
muslin garment and hurled him after the coin. Without giving a thought
to his bleeding nose, the mahout jumped at the rupee with the greediness
of a wild beast springing upon its prey. He prostrated himself in the
dust before us repeatedly, with endless "salaams," instantly changing
his deep sorrow into mad joy. He gave another pull at the unfortunate
tail and gladly declared that, thanks to the "prayers of the sahib," it
really was safe; to demonstrate which he hung on to it, till he was torn
away and put back on his seat.

"Is it possible that a single, miserable rupee can have been the cause
of all this?" we asked each other in utter bewilderment.

"Your astonishment is natural enough," answered the Hindus. "We need
not express how ashamed and how disgusted we all feel at this voluntary
display of humiliation and greed. But do not forget that this wretch,
who certainly has a wife and children, serves his employer for twelve
rupees a year, instead of which he often gets nothing but a beating.
Remember also the long centuries of tyrannical treatment from Brahmans,
from fanatical Mussulmans, who regard a Hindu as nothing better than an
unclean reptile, and, nowadays, from the average Englishman, and maybe
you will pity this wretched caricature of humanity."

But the "caricature" in question evidently felt perfectly happy and
not in the least conscious of a humiliation of any kind. Sitting on the
roomy forehead of his Peri, he was telling her of his unexpected wealth,
reminding her of her "divine" origin, an