Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp: Late a Lieut. in His Majesty's 87th RegimentShipp, John
History
Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp: Late a Lieut. in His Majesty's 87th Regiment
Shipp, John
India -- History -- British occupation, 1765-1947 -- Biography; Shipp, John, 1784-1834
see the penitential tear steal from its eye, I have never seen it in my
life. He then submitted to be re-chained by some other keepers, stood
motionless and dejected, and seemed sensible that he had done a wrong he
could not repair. His dejection became more and more visible, as he
stood and gazed on the fatherless babe, who, from constant familiarities
with this elephant, seemed unintimidated, and played with its trunk.
From this moment the animal became passive and quiet, and always seemed
most delighted when the little orphan was within its sight. Often have I
gone with others of the camp to see him fondling his little adopted; but
there was a visible alteration in his health after his keeper's death,
and he fell away, and died at Cawnpore, six months afterwards; people
well acquainted with the history of the elephant, and who knew the
story, did not scruple to say, from fretting for his before favourite
keeper.
During the Nepaul war (1815) a female elephant, that had a young one
some seven years old, died, leaving its young to lament its loss. I went
to see it every day; and I pledge my word to the reader that the sorrow
and sighing of this little animal was truly piteous and distressing. For
some time it refused all kind of food. An old male elephant, that always
stood near its mother, after some days seemed to take pity on it,
fondled over and caressed it, and at last adopted it. It always
travelled on the line of march close by its side, would feed out of its
mouth, and gambolled with it as it was wont to do with its mother. Thus
noticed, it grew fast, and, ere the campaign was over, its poor mother
was forgotten, and all its affections seemed settled on its new friend.
Its name was Pearee--love, or lovely, in English.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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