gentle in his habits, that he was permitted to go at large. This huge
animal used to walk about the streets in the most quiet and orderly
manner, and paid many visits through the city to people who were kind to
him. Two cobblers took an ill will to this inoffensive creature, and
several times pricked him on the proboscis with their awls. The noble
animal did not chastise them in the manner he might have done, and
seemed to think they were too contemptible to be angry with them. But he
took other means to punish them for their cruelty. He filled his trunk
with water of a dirty quality, and advancing towards them in his
ordinary manner, spouted the whole of the puddle over them. The
punishment was highly applauded by those who witnessed it, and the poor
cobblers were laughed at for their pains."

[Illustration: THE ELEPHANT AND THE COBBLERS--Page 68.]

"Ha! ha! ha! He must have been a very knowing animal, Uncle Thomas. I
dare say, the cobblers behaved better in future."

"I dare say they would, Boys. Here is another story of the same
description, but the trickster did not escape so easily."

"A person in the island of Ceylon, who lived near a place where
elephants were daily led to water, and often sat at the door of his
house, used occasionally to give one of these animals some fig leaves, a
food to which elephants are very partial. Once he took it into his head
to play one of the elephants a trick. He wrapped a stone round with fig
leaves, and said to the carnac, 'This time I will give him a stone to
eat, and see how it will agree with him.' The carnac answered, 'that the
elephant would not be such a fool as to swallow a stone.' The man,
however, reached the stone to the elephant, who, taking it with his