THE KEEPER PUNISHED.
Reading edition
Elephants, when kindly treated, become very much attached to their keepers, and will obey their orders as readily as good children obey their parents.
But sometimes the keepers are cruel men, and, instead of managing the elephants by kindness, will goad them, and treat them badly.
One day a new keeper was set over an elephant named Tippoo, that had been accustomed to good treatment. This new keeper, if he had been wise, would have won the elephant's love by kindness.
Instead of that, the man kept thrusting his goad at the elephant, and hurting him without any good cause. Tippoo bore it patiently for some time; but at last, with his great trunk seizing his tormentor, he ran with him down to the river that was near by.
Here, after ducking the man several times in the water, he laid him down gently on the dry ground, as much as to say, "Now, sir, behave yourself, and treat me like a gentleman, or I will give you a worse ducking than that."
Finding that Tippoo was not to be trifled with, the man began to treat him well, and the elephant soon forgave him, and at last grew quite fond of him. Love wins love.
Uncle Charles.
