e among us, enlighten the darkness of him who
is most foolish?"

"It is that elephants of great repute have come from the Vindha Hills;
and mahouts of great learning. Also, there is a luminous tradition
that the most exalted creatures of their kind--those who travelled far
from the high lands of Persia long ago--chose place for their future
generations in the Vindha Hills; and not in High Himalaya."

This man who had first rebuked sternly and afterward explained with
extreme gentleness, was Kudrat Sharif, the mahout of Neela Deo--mighty
leader of their caravan. He was malik--which is to say, governing
mahout--over them all; and best qualified among them. Therefore a
clamour rose for more. The youngest mahout went from his place and sat
near, as Kudrat Sharif continued:

"The black elephants are all but gone. Not more than one in a
generation of men is seen any more. They are seldom toiled into the
trap-stockades, in which the less wary are taken. The natures of those
who have been snared are strange to us of the High Hills. They
sometimes destroy men in their anger; they sometimes destroy themselves
in their grief."

"What is the heart of this knowledge?" asked a man who had not spoken
before.

"That these stockades are distinguished by Government," Kudrat Sharif
replied. "The elephant who is to reach us this evening, is a black
elephant--descended from the lines of ancient Persia."

A chorus of exclamations swept the circle, before the gurgle of hookahs
took the moment, as the mahouts gave themselves to meditation and
water-winnowed smoke.

Then the trumpet tones of an elephant were heard from far out in the
gathering gloom.

"May Vishnu, the great Preserver, save us from a killer!"

The man who said these words was not less than magical in his power to
control the unruly; but he never took credit to himself. "That is the
voice of a fighter--smooth as curds of cream--and it reaches from far
out; very far out."

The challenge-call sounded again; and the big males of the stockade
answered without hesitation.

These mahouts had trained ears; and they listened--computing the
stranger's rate of speed. The fullness of tone increased; and
presently one said:

"He comes fast."

But they were not prepared to see the elephant that rolled into the
glare of their torches out of the night.

He came to pause in the centre of the exercise arena--a vast sanded
disk just front of the stockade buildings--a