Our boys in India . n had usually built fires at night, to keep the wild beastsfrom coming to the water near where they were anchored;but there were villages within sight of the boat to-night,and Dhondaram did not want to attract the attention of thevillagers, who would be sure to come down and make thema call. So they only pushed out farther than usual; and thesun went down, and the moon rose, and the boatmen laystretched over the deck, sound asleep. Paul had been asleep,but was wakened by Dhondaram, who was praying, andfiercely beating himself. Getting up from his mat, Paul wentto the muni,
Our boys in India . n had usually built fires at night, to keep the wild beastsfrom coming to the water near where they were anchored;but there were villages within sight of the boat to-night,and Dhondaram did not want to attract the attention of thevillagers, who would be sure to come down and make thema call. So they only pushed out farther than usual; and thesun went down, and the moon rose, and the boatmen laystretched over the deck, sound asleep. Paul had been asleep,but was wakened by Dhondaram, who was praying, andfiercely beating himself. Getting up from his mat, Paul wentto the muni, but had hardly reached his side, when from thedistant bank there sounded a shrieking whistle. Dhondaramstarted to his feet. He listened intently for a moment. There WILD LIFE ON THE RllER. 53 was a sharp cracking and swaying of the branches on theother side of the river, that there was not a quarter of amile wide. Some large body was forcing its way through atno easy pace. Suddenly the muni disappeared in the cabin,. THE MAD ELEPHANT. but re-appeared in a moment, carrying a bundle. Paul hadnot time to ask what it was ; for his eyes were fixed on ahuge, dingy form that loomed up on the opposite bank. It is only an elephant, said Paul, who had seen themcarrying burdens along the river-bank. c t OUR BOYS IN INDIA. A mad elephant, muttered Dhondaram, watching- himintently. What makes him mad? asked Paul. I dont know. But he is alone, and a wild elephantnever goes alone unless hes mad. Ha! he exclaimed, asthe huge elephant seemed to have noticed them, and at oncedashed into the water, and began to swim rapidly toward theboat. Not yet, not yet, muttered Dhondaram, catching Paulin his arms, and setting him on his shoulder, while he bal-anced the bundle on his head. It is not written in Dhon-darams forehead that he die at the will of a wild elephant, ora tame one either. And with his burden he slipped silentlyover the edge of the boat, away from the approaching , bein
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