Promise him rewards, and he
will make wonderful exertion. He is also extremely alive to a sense of
shame. The elephants were employed to transport the heavy artillery in
India. One of the finest attempted in vain to force a gun through a
swamp. `Take away that lazy beast,' said the director `and bring
another.' The animal was so stung with the reproach, that it used so
much exertion to force the gun on with its head, as to fracture its
skull, and it fell dead. When Chunee, the elephant which was so long in
Exeter Change, was ordered as usual to take up a sixpence with his
trunk, it happened one day that the sixpence rolled against the
skirting-board, out of his reach. Chunee stopped, and reflected a
little while, and then, drawing the air into his trunk, he threw it out
with all his force against the skirting-board; the rebound of the air
from the skirting-board blew the sixpence towards him, and he was
enabled to reach it."
"That was very clever of him," replied William.
"Yes; it was a proof of thought, with a knowledge of cause and effect.
There was a curious instance of a horse, which, by the bye, I consider
the most noble animal of creation, which was ridden round by his
master, to deliver newspapers.
Pages:
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363