returning to camp one evening, he was informed that one of his largest
and best elephants, "Kennedy", had got stuck in quicksand. In many
parts of Assam there are quicksands and quagmires. This particular one
chanced to be in a nala (stream). The elephant had refused to cross
the partially dried-up stream. Instinct had warned him through the
tip of his trunk that danger lurked there, but his mahout (driver),
anxious to get into camp after a hard day and knowing that across
this stream was a short cut, had forced him. They had advanced but
a yard or two when the huge animal began to sink, and the more he
struggled and strove to extricate himself the deeper he sank. The
Maharajah hastened to the spot as soon as he heard of the catastrophe,
for "Kennedy" was a fine and valuable elephant and a steady one for
shikar (shooting). At the sound of his master's voice poor "Kennedy"
looked towards the bank, and the Maharajah saw that great tears of
anguish were rolling down the poor beast's face as he bellowed in
an agony of fear. The Maharajah directed the men who had gathered
around the scene to fell some saplings, which were conveyed to the
nala by some smaller elephant and pushed into the quagmire towards
"Kennedy". The poor entrapped animal seemed to understand that efforts
were being made to rescue him, and he obeyed his driver's now soothing
voice and held himself still. At last, the combined labours of men
and brother-elephants provided a safe footing of submerged saplings
and branches; and "Kennedy" pulled himself out of the treacherous
sand and was escorted back to the camp with great rejoicings.

Not long after this "Kennedy" distinguished himself in another way,
but this time evoked the displeasure and not the pity of his good
master. An engineer, named Ashton, had charge of the feilkhana
(elephant stables) and had once severely punished "Kennedy". After
the manner of his kind, the elephant bore the memory of the outrage