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One of the first men that Archie encountered was Peter Pegg, who was standing watching the mahouts, who in turn were overlooking the attendants whose duty it was to groom the Rajah's stud. "How is it you are not on duty?" he said. "Am, sir," said the lad. "The Sergeant put me here to keep a heye on these helephant chaps and see as they don't get quarrelling with t'other Rajah's men."
At the Helephant and Castle, and, indeed, wherever he stopped, there were lots of gapers assembled to see the Baronet coachman, but Sir Wincent never minded them, but bustled about with his way-bill, and shoved in his parcels, fish-baskets, and oyster-barrels like a good 'un.
"No mistake, Pete. He would have turned savage, and dragged you off as easily as he lifted you up, then knocked you down with his trunk and perhaps trampled you into the mud." "Perhaps you are right, sir; and it wouldn't have been very pleasant. But hark! There's a helephant coming, and you can hear the suck, suck, suck of his feet in the mud plainer and plainer.
"Must have been a helephant stable once upon a time," he concluded at last, "for here's the great post that one of the big pigs was chained to by the leg so that he could not get at the walls. Walls! They are nothing better than so many fences. Talk about shutting up a helephant!
Sort of things as you can't drive, but have to lead. I should like a good helephant for a pet, but I suppose he would be expensive to keep; and I don't suppose that there grubby-looking little chap feels very comfortable with that one chivying him. Here, I never thought of that," continued Peter, as he dropped down amongst the palm-leaves.
Yuss, what I have telled the young governor sounds 'most as easy as cutting butter, only not quite. I can get the helephant up to the door here, and I don't see much hardship in mounting him and riding off; only how am I to manage to get him here at the right time? Ah, well, I'm getting on.
That there chap's six foot four at least, half as broad again across the chest as I am, and he's got arms like a helephant, while to look at him with his blue face you'd say he was 'bout the fiercest-looking fighting man you ever see; and yet, when you come to know him inside, he's just like a big boy, and so good-tempered I could do anything with him."
The governor's better, and I have got a spear, and, so to speak, I have got a helephant, and a fine one, too. So I am not going to give up because some of the job is hard. This 'ere bit of bread is as hard as wood, but I am getting through with it, and that's what I mean to do about our escape.
You wait a bit till he comes next time. He will soon show you how friendly he is to me. Why, it was only yesterday, I think though the time goes so rum here, where one sleeps so much he come to see me, and one of the Malay chaps as was taking him to the water tried to drive him away, and, my word, you should have seen him chivy the chap off and call him a hinterfering blackguard, in helephant!
It was not Peter Pegg's words, but the meaning must have been conveyed by his eyes to the mahout, for Peter said excitedly: "There, I'd give a suvron, if I'd got one, to be able to say to our chaps that I'd had a ride on a helephant like that;" and then, to his surprise, the mahout looked at him, smiling, uttered a few words to him, and held out his hand. "Eh? What?" cried Peter.
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