HUMOUROUS ELEPHANTS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1526, 9 April 1886, Page 3

HUMOUROUS ELEPHANTS.

A young friend asked me to show him some elephants in undress, J took him along with me, having firs* borrowed an apron and filled it with oranges. This hewas to cany while aocomyanying me in the stably but the moment we reached the door the herd set up such ■ trumpeting—they had scented the fruit—that he dhipi&dfhe apron and its contents, and scuttled off like ft scftred rabbit There were eight elephants; and wheti I picked up the oranges I found I had twenty-five. I walked deliberately along the line, giving one to each; when I got to the lextremity of the narrow stable I turned, and was about to begin the distribution again, when I suddenly reflected that if elephant No. 7 in the row saw me give two oranges » succession to No. 8 he might unagpte he was being cheated, and give me a smack with his proboscis—that is where the elephant falls short of the hhmanbehig —so I went to the door and began ae novo as before. Thrice I went along the line, and then I was in a fix. I had one orange left, and I had to get back to the door. Every 9lephfcnt in the herd had Ins greedy gaze focussed on that orange. It was as much as my life was worth to give it to any one of them. What was Itodo F I held it up conspicuously, coolly peeled it, and sucked it myself. It was most amusing to notice the way thoee elephants nudged each other and shook their ponderous sides. They thoroughly entered into the humour of the thing. —From Leave* from the Life <jf a Correspondent.