As  he  was  leaving,  he  informed  us  that  one  of  his  ele-
phants should  be  at  our  service  if  we  would  like  to  make
an  excm-sion  into  the  country.  Soon  the  elephant,  with
mahout  and  another  attendant,  appeared.  He  was  a  noble
specimen  of  his  species,  and,  somewhat  peculiar,  mottled  or
spotted  on  his  breast.  Obedient  to  command,  he  came
down  upon  his  belly,  and  even  then  we  required  a  ladder
to  mount  to  the  howdah,  the  tower  upon  his  back.  This
was  our  first  experience  in  elephant  riding,  and,  although
the  excursion  was  one  of  great  pleasure,  the  motion  was
just  about  as  agreeable  as  that  of  a  boat  in  a  short  chop-
ping sea,  or,  to  draw  a  comparison  from  the  land,  it  was
very  much  like  making  aji  excursion  upon  the  back  of  a
small  mountain.
I  find  that  in  the  East  the  elephant,  while  he  has  full
credit  for  his  sagacity,  does  not  bear  the  high  reputation
for  fidelitv  which  is  current  in  the  West.  Even  the  best
of  the  race,  and  those  which  have  been  long  domesticated,
are  liable  to  freaks  which  have  the  appearance  of  insanity,
m  which  thev  sometimes  attack  their  most  tried  friends.
2(56  AROUND  THE  WOULD.
