A mad elephant in Germany, which had destroyed much property, yielded immediately to the voice of the man who owned it, or had been its friend and keeper. The works of the ancient writers abound in instances of attachment and friendship between the huge animals and human beings. Ælian relates a story of an elephant who became passionately attached to a little girl who sold flowers in the streets of Antioch, and had occasionally given it a part of her store. Athenæus tells of one which became so fond of a little child, that it would eat only in its presence; but I fear that this story will not stand the test. Strabo states that elephants were known to have pined away and died when deprived of their keepers to whom they were attached. Lieut. Shipp gives, in his memoirs, a very minute account of an elephant, who, upon killing its keeper, was seized with what was considered a fit of remorse, which ultimately killed the animal. In other words, it died of “a broken heart,” a term that is applied to-day to elephants in India who die of no apparent cause. In Purchas’s collection of travels, there is an account of an elephant who mourned for its master, the King of Ava, who was slain in battle, for many days; and, as the same is known to have occurred among dogs and cats at the present day, it is not at all improbable. That the elephant should become attached to its keeper, is not strange. It is perfectly familiar with all his movements, receives all its food from him, is caressed and petted; and it is not surprising that at times the animals rebel when provided with an utter stranger to replace the one in whom they have learned to trust. CHAPTER XVII. TUSKERS AT WORK. We have seen how the elephant is trapped, glanced at it in confinement, and now come to the question of its actual value; in other words, how it is utilized by man. The simplest answer to this would be, that the elephant is a patient and faithful servant, quick to oblige, and, though not the most valuable of all animals as a helpmate to man, it certainly stands first in this respect in India. In the chapter on elephant intelligence, the traits of the great animal are dwelt upon; and it is its quickness to obey orders, the celerity with which it seems to understand them, its great strength and docility, which make it so valuable. There is hardly any service in India, requiring heavy work, in which the elephant is not employed. All the native nobles keep large herds of them, and in early times the numbers employed for simple purposes of show were remarkable.