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'A devastating sickness has fallen on my village, and all my wives are dying, yelled Deesa, really in tears this time. 'Call Chihun, who comes from Deesa's village, said the planter. Chihun, has this man a wife? 'He! said Chihun. 'No. Not a woman of our village would look at him. They'd sooner marry the elephant. Chihun snorted. Deesa wept and bellowed.
'Ten days, said Deesa, 'you must work and haul and root trees as Chihun here shall order you. Take up Chihun and set him on your neck! Moti Guj curled the tip of his trunk, Chihun put his foot there and was swung on to the neck. Deesa handed Chihun the heavy ankus, the iron elephant-goad. Chihun thumped Moti Guj's bald head as a paviour thumps a kerbstone. Moti Guj trumpeted.
If an elephant wished to catch an express train he could not gallop, but he could catch the train. Thus Moti Guj was at the planter's door almost before Chihun noticed that he had left his pickets. He fell into Deesa's arms trumpeting with joy, and the man and beast wept and slobbered over each other, and handled each other from head to heel to see that no harm had befallen.
He slapped old friends on the back and asked them if the stumps were coming away easily; he talked nonsense concerning labour and the inalienable rights of elephants to a long 'nooning'; and wandering to and fro, thoroughly demoralised the garden until sundown, when he returned to his pickets for food. 'If you won't work you shan't eat, said Chihun angrily.
If an elephant wished to catch an express train he could not gallop, but he could catch the train. Thus Moti Guj was at the planter's door almost before Chihun noticed that he had left his pickets. He fell into Deesa's arms trumpeting with joy, and the man and beast wept and slobbered over each other, and handled each other from head to heel to see that no harm had befallen.
He swung clear, looked round, shrugged his shoulders, and began to walk away, as one having business elsewhere. 'Hi! ho! Come back you, shouted Chihun. 'Come back, and put me on your neck, Misborn Mountain. Return, Splendour of the Hillsides. Adornment of all India, heave to, or I'll bang every toe off your fat forefoot! Moti Guj gurgled gently, but did not obey.
'You're a wild elephant, and no educated animal at all. Go back to your jungle. Chihun's little brown baby, rolling on the floor of the hut, stretched its fat arms to the huge shadow in the doorway. Moti Guj knew well that it was the dearest thing on earth to Chihun. He swung out his trunk with a fascinating crook at the end, and the brown baby threw itself shouting upon it.
Chihun gave him balls of spices, and tickled him under the chin, and Chihun's little baby cooed to him after work was over, and Chihun's wife called him a darling; but Moti Guj was a bachelor by instinct, as Deesa was. He did not understand the domestic emotions. He wanted the light of his universe back again the drink and the drunken slumber, the savage beatings and the savage caresses.
Chihun ran after him with a rope and caught him up. Moti Guj put his ears forward, and Chihun knew what that meant, though he tried to carry it off with high words. 'None of your nonsense with me, said he. 'To your pickets, Devil-son. 'Hrrump! said Moti Guj, and that was all that and the forebent ears.
'He'll work now, said Deesa to the planter. 'Have I leave to go? The planter nodded, and Deesa dived into the woods. Moti Guj went back to haul stumps. Chihun was very kind to him, but he felt unhappy and forlorn notwithstanding.
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