“You would not like to see a tiger spring up at the howdah, and try to drag you out of it, as happened when your papa was out shooting one day, and the poor mahout was so dreadfully torn that he died?” observed Mrs Vallery. “Tiger shooting is a very dangerous amusement, and I was always anxious till your papa came back safe. It was no amusement to me in the meantime.”
“Women are silly things, and are always being afraid,” said Norman, with an impudent look.
“That was not a proper remark, Norman, and it was especially rude in you to make it in our presence,” observed Mrs Leslie.
“When I am big I intend to go out tiger shooting, and if other people are afraid, I shall not be,” persisted Norman.
His grandmamma made no further remark, but she cast a look of pity at the boy.
“But are not the elephants frightened, mamma, when they see the tigers?” asked Fanny, anxious to draw off attention from her brother.
“They are wise creatures, and seem to know that their riders have the means of defending them, so that they very seldom run away,” answered Mrs Vallery, “occasionally they take flight. Nothing can be more uncomfortable than having to sit on the back of an elephant under such circumstances. The creature sticks out its trunk and screams as it rushes onward, trampling down everything in its way. Should it pass under trees, it happens occasionally that a branch sweeps its riders with their howdah from its back. Elephants are, however, generally so well-trained, that I never felt any fear when seated on the back of one. They are, indeed, wonderfully sensible creatures, and can be taught to do anything. They sometimes convey luggage and even light guns over rough country, which wheels cannot traverse. With their trunks they lift up enormous logs of wood, and place them exactly as directed when roads are being formed, and they will even build up piles of logs, placing each with the greatest exactness. I have heard of elephants taking up children in their trunks and playing with them, and putting them down again, without doing them the slightest injury. They can, as the natives say, do everything but talk, indeed they seem to understand what is said to them, and I have seen a mahout whisper in his elephant’s ear, when the creature immediately obeyed him, though he possibly may have used some other sign which I did not observe.”
“I should like to travel on the back of one of the well-trained elephants you speak of, mamma, because I could then look about and see the country, though I think that I should at first be somewhat afraid until I got accustomed to it,” remarked Fanny.
“You may be able to try how you like riding on the back of one of them at the Zoological Gardens, where perhaps your papa will take you some day,” said Mrs Leslie, “it is among the places I thought you would like to see, and I told him that I was sure you would be very much interested in going there?”
“I will go too, and take care of you,” said Norman, with a patronising air, “I have ridden on an elephant in India, and if there are any tigers we will shoot them.”