The ladies of the party had made the acquaintance of those of their own sex
in the household, and the sports of the day had been discussed among them.
On this day it was to be an elephant fight. The native women did not
attend, for they never took part in any public affair. Mrs. Belgrave, as
soon as she learned the nature of the entertainment, promptly declined to
be present at it, and the others were of the same mind.
To make the best of it, it was a brutal sport. The elephant is a noble
beast, so intelligent that he deserves the consideration of man; and to
them it seemed barbarous to set them fighting, even if the animals had
belligerent instincts, though they never displayed them in their
domesticated condition unless under strong provocation. Some of the
gentlemen regarded the exhibition as but little better than a prize-fight;
though they all attended the occasion, for the more sensitive ones thought
it would be impolite to decline the invitation, especially as the
exhibition was got up especially for them.
They were ushered into a large apartment, one side of which consisted of
lofty arches, through which the display could be witnessed. At either end
of the arena was chained a monster male elephant. A number of female
elephants were on an elevation near it; and it seemed as though they were
placed there for the same reason that the ladies were admitted to the
tournaments of the knights in England and France.
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