The royal tusker and his friend

“I have got a present from my great king of the adjoining kingdom. Come and have a look,." the king told his courtiers with a broad smile cast on his face. Then they all went to see the new addition to the royal palace. It was a great tusker. To please the king, the courtiers touched the royal tusker and tried to talk to it in elephant language used by mahouts.

"But I need a good mahout to look after the royal tusker. Will you be able to find a good mahout?" The king asked the courtier in charge of the martial matters.

"There is one very reliable mahout. We can talk to him and appoint him as the chief mahout."

"That looks good. See that the appointment is made promptly."

The most skillful mahout was appointed. He started carefully looking after the royal elephant. One day it so happened that a stray dog came near the elephant. The mahout wanted to drive the dog away. But it was difficult. The elephant was too friendly with the dog.

Mahout felt something strange is happening. To his grave dismay the dog was seen roaming around the place where the elephant stood eating his daily meal. The elephant did not mind the presence of the dog. But the mahout was fear-struck thinking that at a particular moment the dog will harm the royal tusker which may mean a great disaster and an ill omen to the royal elephant as well as him.

Then the mahout observed closely what the dog was up to. He was quite friendly with the royal tusker. The dog would hide himself behind the giant legs of the tusker and drive the flies and mosquitoes. Both of them were good friends to the extent that the tusker would keep the dog on his back, holding him by the trunk. Seeing this episode the mahout knew that some impending disaster is foreseen.

"One day something will misfire. If that happens the king will be angry with me for the negligence," he thought. Then a stream of thoughts flooded his mind. This should not happen, and things of this type have never happened before. Why never? The royal tuskers dare not hold a dog from their trunks and place dogs on their backs, a place where the king only sits during his royal visits to places in the kingdom.

Before long I must inform the king about this strange behaviour or else I will get into trouble, thought the mahout. So thinking thus the mahout went to see the king. "Great Majesty! I have a certain problem I need to discuss with you,"

"What is it, tell me?" asked the king. Then the mahout said that a particular dog is having a friendship with the royal tusker who is entrusted to him.

"Will the dog harm our royal tusker?" asked the king.

"Not to my best of knowledge, but as a mahout who is no less experienced in these matters, I have not seen such a friendship that exists between an elephant and a dog. They are thick pals unprecedented I am simply surprised."

"If the dog does not harm our elephant let them be friends," said the king. This relieved the troubles lingering in the mind of the mahout. He went once to his duty of looking after the royal tusker. Then again he saw the friendship that was thickening between the tusker and the dog.

One morning a man who looked like a beggar came to see the mahout.

“Is it all right if I take this dog home?”

“But the king knows about the friendship that exists between the elephant and the dog,” said the mahout. “I will give you some money and take the dog home. Will that be all right?”

The mahout agreed thinking that it will be a good idea to sell the dog. In the absence of the friendly dog, the royal tusker was seen in a desolate mood. He would not eat any food given nor would he listen to the mahout. He would lie low thinking of something making strange melancholic sounds as if murmuring for a help.

The mahout knew that the elephant is sick and summoned the elephant physician. But the elephant physician said that there is no apparent elephant sickness visible, but it may be that the tusker is complaining of something he yearns for. This strange behaviour startled the mahout and it worried him.

“I must inform the king about this matter,” the mahout thought. Then once again the mahout went to see the king.

“Oh Great majesty the royal tusker is not eating anything and does not feel well.

"I am simply helpless I came to report the matter,”

“Is the dog still around the elephant?” asked the king.

“No great majesty, a beggar took him away.”

“Since when the tusker has been sick?”

“From the day the beggar took the dog.”

“Bring the dog back from the person who took it.”

The mahout did in the manner ordered by the king. The beggar was asked to release the dog who lived in friendship with the tusker. When the dog came running to the place of the royal tusker, the mahout was simply surprised at the happy moment spent between the two friends.

“Oh great majesty! This is unimaginable. This is the first time I saw such a thing in my whole career of looking after the elephants.”

“Strange things happen in this world. But they are no longer strange when you come to know of them,” said the king.