Storia do Mogor 263.2
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 263.2
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263.2.1
These animals are most grateful, and recognise any benefit done them; they also feel an injury, and when the opportunity arises take a cruel revenge. This have I seen suffered by many an elephant-driver for the ill-treatment he had been guilty of, some because of stealing their food and not giving them their full rations, others for having without cause struck and abused them. It happened to me once that I was attending a princess, entering and issuing by a great courtyard, where I saw collected together her horses and elephants. On my leaving, the princess presented me with some betel leaf. I passed near an elephant, and holding out my hand, offered it the betel leaf. It put out its trunk, took it, placed it in its mouth, and ate it. Every time I came out of the palace it recognised me, and put out its trunk, and I made over to it all the betel I had received. In a short time the princess recovered, and I went no more to the house. A year afterwards I was passing through the city with some horsemen in my train, when an elephant approached me with its trunk raised, and followed me. I cried out angrily to the driver to keep his elephant under control. He answered that the elephant knew me again and wanted betel leaf, to which he had become accustomed on my visits to the princess's house.
263.2.2
One day, coming from the palace, I passed through a street, where I saw many elephants collected before the door of Momencan (Mumin Khan), the official in charge of them. He was seated at the door of his mansion, and seeing me, called to me. I got down from my horse and walked between the elephants, which stood very close to each other. Near the door the space was very narrow, and I could hardly pass. I put my hand on the trunk of a small female elephant to make it give way. It could not move aside, and without my imagining such a thing, it suddenly put its trunk between my legs and deposited me lightly in a shop close by, which was full of gurguris (pottery pipe-heads), from which the Mahomedans smoke tobacco, and as I subsided I heard a great disturbance of cooking-pots, gurguris, and other crockery; though put out at finding myself in such a state, without any turban on my head, I was not hurt in any way. The female elephant put her trunk into her mouth and trumpeted loudly. This was to show she was in fault, but that the crowded position in which she found herself had forced her to take such a course [148].
263.2.3
When Mahabat Khan was governor of Gujarat, he kept many elephants. Among them were some very choice, large, and handsome. The driver in charge of the chief of these elephants (its name was Zalzalah—that is, 'Earthquake') bore a grudge against a greengrocer. To revenge himself, he went past the man's shop, and, halting the elephant, gave it a sign. It set to work with its trunk and scattered the whole of the goods in all directions—radishes, turnips, garlic, onions, lemons, and so forth. In the confusion, a bull belonging to the vegetable-seller, which had been tied up close by, broke its rope and pursued the elephant, prodding it between the legs from behind with its horns. The elephant, not accustomed to such unusual attentions, was terrorized, and without waiting for more, broke into flight, the bull after him. The driver, looking on it as a point of honour, made the elephant pull up and face the foe. Upon this, the bull also halted, and began to paw the ground with his fore-feet, raising a great dust, and bellowing at the same time. This caused the elephant to be still more frightened. It turned and fled; the bull, overtaking it, renewed the attack with its horns. In this way it pursued, until it had ejected the elephant from the city, to the great admiration of the people, who ran to see this singular sight.
263.2.4
Informed of the facts, Mahabat Khan ordered into his presence the bull and the elephant to see this curious thing himself. As soon as the bull saw the elephant, it did as before. Mahabat Khan, too, feeling his honour at stake, wanted the elephant to kill the bull. He ordered other elephants to be called in. One after another made the attempt, but still the bull remained victor. The reader must understand that when the bull saw the elephant approach, he went to attack him, and raising a great deal of dust with his feet, deceived the elephant. In this cloud of dust the bull suddenly got behind the elephant and used its horns. In this way it overcame the elephant. Finding the bull so violent, Mahabat Khan kept it, and gave a present to its owner of two hundred rupees, and he used it to punish any mad elephants that had broken their chains and caused injuries. I saw once, as I was passing along in the city of Lahor, an elephant break its chain, and the elephant-men could not catch it. They let the bull loose, and it, by its cleverness and the use of its horns, drove the elephant back to its place. Mahabat Khan was so pleased with this bull that he gave it the name of 'Chastiser of Elephants.'
263.2.5
They say that formerly there died a King of Arakan without leaving a successor, at a time when the nobles were in discord and each one wished himself to become king. In the end they decided to let the chief royal elephant loose outside the city, and he who should return mounted on it would be made king. After three days the elephant appeared in front of the royal palace with a boy upon his back. The lad was the son of a shepherd; but he was accepted as king.
263.2.6
Among the many elephants owned by the King of Gulkandah, he had one very lofty and superb animal, which the king valued most highly. This elephant formed a great affection for a young girl who lived close to its stable; and every time the elephant was fed with various kinds of grain, cooked food, and sugar-cane, it threw a portion with its trunk to the girl. She, being used to the elephant, would go up to him fearlessly, and would walk beneath him and between his legs without being hurt. The older she grew, the greater was the elephant's affection. Aurangzeb heard that the King of Gulkandah had this fine elephant ; and as he was accustomed to demand all that was best in that kingdom, he directed the king to send it. Unable to make denial, the king ordered the elephant to be sent. When it saw itself outside the city, and knew it was going a long journey, it got out of hand and would not obey the drivers, but returned to its stable. Whenever they began the journey, the same thing occurred [149]. In time they recognised that he would not start, through the affection he bore to the child. On being assured of this, they reported to the king. Orders were given to send the girl with him, also her parents, and then he proceeded on his way without any difficulty. On reaching the Mogul's court the king was told of the affair, and he granted pay for the girl and her parents. The girl when she grew up drove this elephant, and it obeyed her without hesitation.
263.2.7
[150, 151.] I could extend my remarks to greater length on the instinct of these animals, but that would carry me too far, and therefore I will conclude my account with an unusual event occurring in the island of Ceylon. The king of that island was angry with one of his nephews for some trick he had played. He ordered him to be put to death in his own presence by a mad elephant. The elephant advanced towards the victim. The latter cried out at once to the animal, and told it not to kill him. The elephant recognised the voice, because the man had formerly ridden on it, and drew back, raising its trunk as a mark of politeness and respect. At this the king grew angry with the driver, and commanded him to drive the beast forward once more. The victim began to cry out again, saying he relied upon him not to kill him. On seeing that the elephant did not mean to obey, the king stood up and shouted to it; all the same, it did not obey his orders. 'Kill,' said he, 'this traitor forthwith, for such is my will.' At this the elephant, finding itself forced by the king's orders, put his trunk into his mouth, and, shutting his eyes, rushed as quickly as possible at the unfortunate being without touching him with his trunk or his tusks. These are the members with which they are accustomed to kill anyone. But in spite of that it did not fail to take the man's life by crushing him under its feet.