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Mukna committed the most terrible crime he actually tried to kill people; and then he tried to run away into the jungle and perhaps become a rogue elephant. But afterward, when he was being punished, he repented of his crimes. So, what happened? I shall tell you. Mukna was put on probation for a year; that is, the keepers watched him for a year to see if he would behave well.
The elephant who had the huge tusks stepped into the ring, and tried to get behind Mukna, but Mukna turned around to prevent him from doing so. Then the elephant master ordered two other elephants to step into the ring. These two came and pointed their tusks at Mukna's ribs on each side. So Mukna could not turn. In defiance he held up his head, and curled his trunk tight before him.
Even a dog that has been naughty will cringe and whine at the sight of a whip, because it knows that its punishment is coming. But Mukna did not cringe and whine. Instead he became defiant just like a very bad boy. He held up his head and curled his trunk tight in a spiral in front of his chest.
Then a third bull came up in front of Mukna, and stood with his back to him, so that all three police elephants faced the same way as Mukna as you see in the picture on page 45. Then at the same time the three police elephants stepped backward, so that Mukna also was forced to step backward.
But it is slightly different among elephants in the service of men, because there they have no elephant president, but a man president, who might be away at that time. That man is called the elephant master. That is just what happened when Mukna was disobedient. The elephant master happened to have gone to the palace on a visit.
The place was a clear space, about a hundred yards across, with a lot of trees along the sides. Mukna was tied by the hind leg to one of those trees. The royal party got out of their carriages and entered the open space on foot, quite near the spot where Mukna was tied up. They were not thinking of Mukna just at that moment, as they were talking of the grand feasts at the palace.
He stepped out from behind the tree where he had hidden. For the first time he gave a command. "March!" he cried to the elephants. And the elephants marched toward Mukna. They came nearer and nearer, till they formed a ring around Mukna near the middle of the open space.
This time Mukna stood only two more blows; then he fell again. The place where he was receiving the blows was now raw and bleeding. So the elephant master gave him a chance. "Is it enough?" he asked. But Mukna defiantly arose to his feet, without waiting to be prodded. And he defiantly held up his head and curled up his trunk.
Mukna turned to the right to find a way of escape to the jungle; but all the gaps on the right were guarded by bull elephants. Mukna turned to the left; but all the gaps on the left were guarded likewise. Mukna turned in all directions; but in all directions the gaps were guarded. He could not escape. Then the elephant master recovered from his fright.
Without a word of command from anyone, all the other bull elephants had stepped to the gaps between the trees, each to the gap nearest him as they would have done when they were wild elephants in a herd, to stop a criminal among them. And all of them were now facing Mukna.
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