TAKING A DRINK.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17245, 11 January 1924, Page 7

TAKING A DRINK.

ELEPHANTS ON PARADE, FUN FOR SMALL BOYS, If Wirtidfi Lireus doe.a not soon leave Christchurch there will be an indignation meeting of horses, The horses that draw the cabs, carriers’ carts and tradesmen's vehicles in Christchurch object) very strongly to the elephants, and they give evidence of their contempt and indignation every morning when the elephants parade along Moorhouse Avenue for water. The cab horses snort and turn away, Plainly they don’t like to be seen in the same street with the elephants. and it is only the vigilance of the drivers that prevents them decamping, cab and all, to some more select thoroughfare. A hors© attached to a butcher's cart was this morning particularly emphatic in its pretests. It was enjoying the monopoly of the water trough when it became aware of the approach of four or five mountains of slovenly-moving flesh. It snorted and backed and made Rn attempt to place as much space between itself and the intruding ele-r phants as it could. Foiled in its at-: tempt to bolt, it backed resolutely, till a number of men. pushing gt the hack of the cart, brought it to a rebellious standstill. Another attempt to bolt was curbed with some difficulty. It required the best attentions pf eral meh to tactfully entice the startled animal away to a distance where the no longer disturbed it. The elephants didn't worry. They afe the most nonchalant beasts on earth, They shuffled their way to the vacated water trough and proceeded to delight the small boys ljy filling their ample trunks and then hosing the water violently down their throats. Thairs the elephant’s way of taking a drink. The baby elephant was a source of especial joy. Tt i s a very friendly little fellow, with an inquiring trunk that is always soliciting some edible delicacy. Tt offered a delicate forefoot (delicate in the elephantine sense) to all aqd sundry, and. while ihe small boys f ‘ shook bands 3? with ft with the greatest pf cordiality, its trunk reached about them for something good to eat. One small boy leaped on its back, a proceeding fhat the- elephant received With gn indignant squeal that gent the voungSifer tumbling back to fhe pavement quicker than he left it. “Gee,” he ejaculated, fi didn’t h© go crook h** One quite little hoc dissevered that the small elephant liked tomatoes. He fed to him the major portion of a basket full before his father, noting |he diminishing 1 weight of hie' discovered what was happening and entered a stay of proceedings. If the horses had their way those elephant? would leave to-morrGw; if the small boys had tbeip thoff would never leave