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The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843-1893) (about)
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Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article905236
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Burning a Mad Elephant.
Tho fires wera at a white heat and filled with long Iron bars. Presently men in red shirts took the glowing Irons from the fire. How the elephant roared when ho saw their flaming points. He knew what was coming, and his struggles were awful when a hot hissing bar was thrust Into his mouth. But his rage did him no good. The only thing he could do was tolle down and roar. Once, In his rage, the elephant wound his trunk around a sparkling bar, evidently to use it ai a weapon of defence, but when his beautiful trunk began to bum and fry his courage gave way and the poor beast fell upon his knees and uttered cries like a alok child. " That is good ; now ho Is coming to his senses," said a palo keeper, as ho prod-
ded him aronnd the month with a bar fresh from the forgo. All seemed going well, when a new source of disturbance was discovered. Some tigers, which the men had neglected to wheel out of a distant part of the arana, discovered what was going on and joined the " circus" with terrific yells. The elephants re- plied ; lions In an adjoining room opened their mouths and in less than two mlDuteB I hadan idea of Central Africa that was enough to scaro a man out of his
skin.
The roar of the beasts and the sickonlng smell of broiling elephant flesh made mo Feel as if I were within ten minutes of perdition. The scene became so hor- rible that I left the building and tried to walk off the impression hy tramping up the street under the bright morning stare. It was just daylight when I reached my hotel, hut I could still smell the roasted trunk of the mad elephant.