There is every reason why this high honor should be accorded to the Elephant.  In the first place, he is physically superior to the Lion.  An Elephant attacked by a Lion could dash his antagonist to the ground with his trunk, run him through with his tusks, and trample him to death under his feet.  The claws and teeth of the Lion would make no impression of any consequence on the Elephant’s thick skin and massive muscles.  If the Elephant was to decide his claim to the throne by dint of fighting for it, the Lion would find himself an ex-king in a very short time.  But the Elephant is too peaceful to assert his right in this way—­and, what is more, he does not suppose that any one could even imagine a Lion to be his superior.  He never had such an idea himself.

But besides his strength of body, the Elephant is superior in intelligence to all animals, except the dog and man.  He is said by naturalists to have a very fine brain, considering that he is only a beast.  His instinct seems to rise on some occasions almost to the level of our practical reasoning, and the stories which are told of his smartness are very many indeed.

But no one can assert that the Lion has any particular intelligence.  To be sure, there have been stories told of his generosity, but they are not many, and they are all very old.  The Elephant proves his pre-eminence as a thinking beast every day.  We see him very frequently in menageries, and we can judge of what he is capable.  We see the Lion also, and we very soon find out what he can do.  He can lie still and look grave and majestic; he can jump about in his cage, if he has been trained; and he can eat!  He is certainly great in that respect.

We all know a great deal about the Elephant, how he is caught and tamed, and made the servant and sometimes the friend of man.  This, however, seldom happens but in India.  In Africa they do not often tame Elephants, as they hunt them generally for the sake of their ivory, and the poor beasts are killed by hundreds and hundreds so that we may have billiard-balls, knife-handles, and fine-tooth combs.

Rut whether the Elephant is wanted as a beast of burden, or it is only his great tusks that are desired, it is no joke to hunt him.  He will not attack a man without provocation (except in very rare cases); when he does get in a passion it is time for the hunter to look out for his precious skin.  If the man is armed with a gun, he must take the best of aim, and his bullets must be like young cannon-balls, for the Elephant’s head is hard and his skin is tough.  If the hunter is on a horse, he need not suppose that he can escape by merely putting his steed to its best speed.  The Elephant is big and awkward-looking, but he gets over the ground in a very rapid manner.

Here is an illustration of an incident in which a boy found out, in great sorrow and trepidation, how fast an Elephant can run.