The Memoirs of a White Elephant

aw, all standing around the stockade, the ele

d have broken without the slightest effort. They were eating with

I looked gloomily at these prisoners, whose ha

one special elephant to whom he gave his sole attention. He loosened the rope from the foot, and rubbed the rough skin with an ointment, and then, upon a signal, the captive ben

ant, they, one after another, fell into line and marched

and cruel. The sun scorched me, and hunge

e vain efforts I had made. I was prostrate-hopele

ration of food; and again I saw them eat joyously,

screams, which were more of misery than of rage. Hunger

began to speak to me. I could not, of course, understand what he said

that he carried filled with some unfamiliar food,

and kneeling, held

ight have been poisoned)! At any rate, I never had tasted anything so delicious; and when t

o allow the man who had fed me to get upon my neck. I obeyed, resigned to anything, and the man sprang up very lightly and placed himself near my head. Then he pricked me

patience. Then they removed my manacles; the other

th seemed so delightful that I could not make up my mind to leave it when the time came; but a prick on the ear told me plainly that I

Siam. I had never yet beheld a city, and my curiosity was so aroused that I was anxious to reach it. As we drew near men appeared on the sides of the road, more and more numerously,

sed before them they threw themselves, face-downward, upo

appeared, with cloth of gold, and arms

f birds! I was so terrified that I turned to escape, but found myself trunk to trunk with my companion, who was following me. His perfect tranquility, and the roguish wink that he gave me, re

the leader of the Procession, wh

I then saw that it was men who were making all this noise. They struck various objects-they tapped them-they whistled into them-and seemed to take the greatest trouble! That whic

n the route I was to traverse; the houses were wreathed with garlands of flowers, and from th

these honours showered upon me? I, who in my

f my skin which alone was responsible for all this enthusiasm. That which seemed to e

Happiness-of Victory-of Prosperity to th

but always with the same astonishment and admiration. It was like a mountain of snow, carved into domes and great stairways, with painted statues, and columns encrusted with jewels, and tipped wi

ove, on the platform, on either side of a doorway of red and gold, elephants covered with

stop. A great silence fell upon all. One would have said that the

and all the people prostrated themselves

of Siam

th jewels, and scattered blinding rays. Before him walked young boys dressed in crimson, who waved great bunch

e I admired without understanding, and I felt as if I was looking upon all the Stars of Heaven,

ajesty approached. Then my conductor pricked my ear, and my compa

such splendour, which seemed to me as if

ned afterwards that I was the only one who had ever been honoured in such fashio

e name of "King-Magnanimous" with the rank of Mandarin of the First Class. He placed upon my

d, now rose up, and with shouts and cries of joy, a

great roofs extended far out on all sides; they were lacquered in red and glistened in the

hich interlaced overhead and supported the roof made me think of

he wore on his head a diadem like that which the King had just placed on mine. But all this did not improve his appearance. His skin was mottled with dingy patches, like dried earth, an

icers and servants prostrated themselves befor

s of silver and gold were bananas, sugar-canes, all sorts of delicious frui

Herd who had made a mock of me c

and I no longer regretted my