Storia do Mogor 263.1.8

263.1.8

It is also said that there was a man whose only livelihood was the sale of wood, which he brought in person [147] from the forest. Going one day on this business, he found a great stack of wood. He was quite astonished at the quantity collected between one day and the next, yet no one else went to collect wood at that spot. When he arrived opposite the wood-pile to bind his bundle, there suddenly came out an elephant who had been hiding behind it, and had collected all the wood. It seized him without hurting him, and lying down on the ground, it showed him one of its feet, in which a great thorn had stuck. The wood-cutter understood that it wanted help, and plucked out the thorn for him. The elephant rose and moved a pace or two, and tried if his foot still hurt him; then, going to the heap, laid hold with his trunk of a quantity of wood, and went off along the road to the man's home. Seeing that the elephant was doing him service, he followed. It went with him to a certain point and deposited the wood on the ground; then, raising its trunk, it stood before the man a moment or two in sign of gratitude, and departed. The wood-cutter went home with his bundle. Next day he went out to his work as usual, and at the same place where he had parted from the elephant he found a large quantity of wood placed there by it. Ever afterwards it left wood at the same spot, and the man was saved the trouble of a long journey for it.