CHAPTER I
THE STUDENT OF GOLCONDA
First of all I must tell you how I learned to write. This knowledgecame to me somewhat late in my long life, but it has to be mentionedat the outset, for although you men have taught my race to performmany laborious tasks, you have not been in the habit of sending us toschool, and an elephant capable of reading and writing is a phenomenonso rare as to seem almost incredible. I say _rare_, for I have heard itstated that my case is not entirely unique. During my long associationwith mankind I have come to understand much of their speech. I am evenacquainted with several languages; Siamese, Hindustani, and a littleEnglish.
I might have been able to speak; I attempted to do so at times;but I only succeeded in producing such extraordinary sounds as setmy teachers laughing, and terrified my companion elephants, if theychanced to hear me; for my utterances resembled neither their ownlanguage nor that of mankind!
I was about sixty years old (which is the prime of youth with us), whenchance enabled me to learn letters, and eventually to write the wordswhich I was never able to pronounce.
* * * * *
The enclosure reserved for me in the Palace of Golconda, where I waspermitted to roam entirely at liberty, was bordered on one side by awall of bricks enameled in blue and green. It was quite a high wall,but it reached only to my shoulder, so that I could, if inclined, lookover the top very easily.
I spent much of my time at this place, owing to some tall tamarindtrees, which cast a fresh and delicious shade all around.
I had plenty of leisure, indeed, I was actually idle, for I was rarelycalled upon except for processions. So, after my morning bath had beentaken, my toilet made, and my breakfast finished, my guardians, orrather my servants, were at liberty to sleep, or to go about visitingand amusing themselves--while I stood motionless under the trees, goingover in my mind the many experiences of my past life.
Every day there arose from an adjoining courtyard merry shoutsand laughter, which would be followed by a silence, and then by amonotonous chanting. It was a class of little boys who were recitingthe Alphabet, for a school was being taught there.
Under shady trees, on turf covered here and there with small carpets,a number of children with red caps romped and played, when the Masterwas not there. As soon as he appeared all was silence, and he seatedhimself upon a larger rug, under an old tree.
On the trunk of the tree was fastened a white Tablet, on which he wrotewith a red pencil.
I looked and listened, at first without much interest, noticing chieflythe mischievous antics of the children, who made faces at me, andglanced over with all sorts of grimaces--exploding suddenly withlaughter for which no cause was apparent.... Punishments rained! Tearssucceeded laughter! And I, who felt myself somewhat the cause of thedisturbance, no longer ventured to show myself. _But my curiosity wasawakened_. The idea of trying to learn what was being taught to thesmall men became fixed in my mind.
I could not speak--but who knows?--I might learn to write!
Concealed in the foliage from the eyes of the frolicsome littleurchins, I gave an extreme attention to the lessons--sometimes makingsuch violent efforts to understand that I trembled from head to foot.
All that was required was simply to pronounce the letters of theAlphabet, one after another, and trace them on the white Tablet.
At night now, instead of sleeping, I exercised my memory; and when inspite of my endeavors I could not recall the form or the sound of aletter, I uttered such cries of despair that my guardians were aroused.
One day there stood before the Tablet a boy who was quite large, butextremely stupid. He had stood for some minutes with his head hangingdown, his finger in his mouth, shifting himself from one foot to theother in a sulky manner--_He did not know_!
All at once an impulse seized me. I extended my trunk over the wall,and taking the pencil gently, with the tip of my trunk, from the handof the little dunce (somewhat excited by my own audacity), I traced onthe white Tablet a gigantic "_E_"!!!!
The stupefaction was such that it could only be manifested by profoundsilence, and gaping mouths.
Emboldened by success I seized the wet cloth with which the Tabletwas cleaned, and effaced the "E" which I had drawn. Then, in smallercharacters, and doing my very best, I wrote the entire Alphabet, fromend to end.
This time the Master fell on his face, crying out, _"A Miracle"_ andthe children ran away, terrified.
As for me, I expressed my satisfaction by moving backward and forwardmy big ears.
The Teacher now rose trembling, detached the Tablet (being careful notto obliterate any of the writing), and, after saluting me most humbly,went away. A few moments later I saw my Mahout advancing towards me,and, without mounting, he led me through the great avenues of the parkto the Entrance of the Palace.
Here ordinarily was seated my dear Mistress. But now she had left hercouch, and, kneeling on a cushion, was examining the Tablet coveredwith letters which the Schoolmaster had brought her.
Standing around her were visitors, also looking on--several Hindus andan Englishman.
As soon as she saw me she ran to me, clapping her hands.
"_Is it true? Is it true?_" cried she. "_Iravata, did you really doit?_" I replied by winking my eyes and flapping my ears.
"_Yes!--He says yes!_" said my sweet Mistress, who always understood me.
But the Englishman shook his head, with an air of incredulity.
"In order to believe such a thing," said he, "I should have to see itwith my own eyes--hearsay is not enough."
I attempted to efface the writing.
"No, no," said the Schoolmaster, removing it out of my reach.
"I saw the Miracle, and I implore the Royal Soul which inhabits thebody of this Elephant to allow me to retain the proofs!"
Upon a sign from the Princess the Scribes were sent for. They came andunrolled before me a long scroll of white satin, and gave me a pencildipped in gold ink.
The Englishman, with a singular grimace, put a morsel of glass in frontof one of his eyes, and became observant.
Secure now of myself, not permitting myself to be embarrassed by thescrutiny of the company, I clasped the pencil firmly with the tip ofmy trunk, and slowly, and with deliberation, I wrote very neatly theAlphabet, from beginning to end.
"Iravata!--my faithful friend!" said the Princess, "_I knew that youwere more than our equal_!"...
Then, with her lovely white arms she clasped my ugly trunk, and leanedher cheek against my rough skin. I felt her tears falling upon me, andtrembling myself with emotion, I knelt down and wept, too.
"Very curious!... Very curious!" murmured the Englishman, who seemedmuch excited, and continually let fall and replaced the bit of glass inthe corner of his eye.
"What have you to say, Milord? You, who are one of the most learned menin England?" inquired the Princess, drying my eyes with the corner ofher gauze scarf.
The philosopher recovered his composure.
"Quintus Mucius, who was three times Consul, relates that he saw anelephant draw in Greek characters this sentence. "_It is I who havewritten these words, and have dedicated the Celtic Spoils_" And _Elien_mentions an elephant who was able to write entire phrases, and eventalk. I was formerly unable to credit these statements. But it isevident that, such things being possible, we must bow to the authorityof the Ancients, our predecessors, and apologize for having doubtedtheir word."
My Princess decided that the Schoolmaster should now be attached to myperson, and entrusted with the responsibility of teaching me to writesyllables, and words (should that prove possible).
The good man performed his task with reverence, and with a patienceworthy of a saint.
For my part, I made such struggles to learn that I grew thin in a wayto cause anxiety to those who loved me, and my skin at last floatedabout my bones, like a mantle that is too large. But when they spoke ofinterrupting my lessons I uttered such shrieks of despair that it wasnot to
be thought of.
I was compelled, however, to regulate my hours of study, and above allnot to omit my meals, which had often happened in the fever of learningwhich had taken hold of me.
At last I was rewarded for my diligence. I was able at length to writethe beloved name of my Princess! It is true it was instantly blottedout by the tears with which I deluged the paper!
From this moment it seemed as if veils had been removed from myunderstanding. I made rapid progress, and with the greatest ease.So much so, that my Professor was not considered to be sufficientlylearned for his position, and a celebrated Brahman was called upon tocomplete my education.
I learned that all Golconda thought of nothing but me. And it wasexpected that, when I should become proficient in writing, wonderfulrevelations would be made by me, concerning the successive migrationsof the Royal Soul which at present inhabited my person.
But what I have written has been simply the Story of my Life, portionsof which my dear Mistress was unacquainted with.
The work was at once translated from the Hindustani, in which I hadwritten it, into all the languages of Asia and Europe, and sold byhundreds of thousands.
This honour (which has excited much envy in the minds of authors whoseworks were not so successful), did not inspire me with vanity.
My reward--my recompense--was _Her_ joy, and _Her_ pride: the rest ofthe world was of no account to me; for all that I had achieved wassolely and exclusively for _Her_.