Page:Ancient India as described by Megasthenês and Arrian.djvu/136

 117 DOUBTFUL FRAGMENTS. Fragm. lit. ^lian, Hist. Amm. XII. 8. 0/ Elephants, (Couf. Fragm. zzxri. 10, xzxvii. 10.) The elephant when feeding at^ large ordinarily drinks water, but when undergoing the fatigues of war is allowed wine, — ^hot that sort, however, which comes from the grape, but another which is prepared from rice.|| The attendants eren go in advance of their elephants and gather them flowers ; for they are very fond of sweet per- fumes, and they are accordingly taken out to the meadows, there to be trained under the influence of the sweetest fragrance. The animal selects the flowers according to their smell, and throws them as they are gathered into a basket which is held out by the trainer. This being filled, and harvest-work, so to speak, completed, he then bathes, and enjoys his bath with all the zest of a consummate voluptuary. On returning from bath- ing he is impatient to have his flowers, and if there is delay in bringing them he begins roaring, and will not taste a morsel of food till all the flowers he gathered are placed before him. This done, he' takes the flowers out of the basket with his trunk and scatters them over the edge of his II Called araky (which, however, is also applied to tdd4) ; rum is now-a-days the beverage given it.