第1章

byMarkTwain[LeftoutofATrampAbroad，becauseitwasfearedthatsomeoftheparticularshadbeenexaggerated，andthatotherswerenottrue。Beforethesesuspicionshadbeenprovengroundless，thebookhadgonetopress。

——M。T。]

Thefollowingcurioushistorywasrelatedtomebyachancerailwayacquaintance。Hewasagentlemanmorethanseventyyearsofage，andhisthoroughlygoodandgentlefaceandearnestandsinceremannerimprintedtheunmistakablestampoftruthuponeverystatementwhichfellfromhislips。Hesaid:

YouknowinwhatreverencetheroyalwhiteelephantofSiamisheldbythepeopleofthatcountry。Youknowitissacredtokings，onlykingsmaypossessit，andthatitis，indeed，inameasureevensuperiortokings，sinceitreceivesnotmerelyhonorbutworship。Verywell；fiveyearsago，whenthetroublesconcerningthefrontierlinearosebetweenGreatBritainandSiam，itwaspresentlymanifestthatSiamhadbeeninthewrong。Thereforeeveryreparationwasquicklymade，andtheBritishrepresentativestatedthathewassatisfiedandthepastshouldbeforgotten。ThisgreatlyrelievedtheKingofSiam，andpartlyasatokenofgratitude，partlyalso，perhaps，towipeoutanylittleremainingvestigeofunpleasantnesswhichEnglandmightfeeltowardhim，hewishedtosendtheQueenapresent——thesolesurewayofpropitiatinganenemy，accordingtoOrientalideas。Thispresentoughtnotonlytobearoyalone，buttranscendentlyroyal。Wherefore，whatofferingcouldbesomeetasthatofawhiteelephant？MypositionintheIndiancivilservicewassuchthatIwasdeemedpeculiarlyworthyofthehonorofconveyingthepresenttoherMajesty。Ashipwasfittedoutformeandmyservantsandtheofficersandattendantsoftheelephant，andinduetimeIarrivedinNewYorkharborandplacedmyroyalchargeinadmirablequartersinJerseyCity。Itwasnecessarytoremainawhileinordertorecruit，theanimal’shealthbeforeresumingthevoyage。

Allwentwellduringafortnight——thenmycalamitiesbegan。Thewhiteelephantwasstolen！Iwascalledupatdeadofnightandinformedofthisfearfulmisfortune。ForsomemomentsIwasbesidemyselfwithterrorandanxiety；Iwashelpless。ThenIgrewcalmerandcollectedmyfaculties。Isoonsawmycourse——for，indeed，therewasbuttheone；

courseforanintelligentmantopursue。Lateasitwas，IflewtoNewYorkandgotapolicemantoconductmetotheheadquartersofthedetectiveforce。FortunatelyIarrivedintime，thoughthechiefoftheforce，thecelebratedInspectorBluntwasjustonthepointofleavingforhishome。Hewasamanofmiddlesizeandcompactframe，andwhenhewasthinkingdeeplyhehadawayofknitinghisbrowsandtappinghisforeheadreflectivelywithhisfinger，whichimpressedyouatoncewiththeconvictionthatyoustoodinthepresenceofapersonofnocommonorder。Theverysightofhimgavemeconfidenceandmademehopeful。

Istatedmyerrand。Itdidnotflurryhimintheleast；ithadnomorevisibleeffectuponhisironself—possessionthanifIhadtoldhimsomebodyhadstolenmydog。Hemotionedmetoaseat，andsaid，calmly:

"Allowmetothinkamoment，please。"

Sosaying，hesatdownathisofficetableandleanedhisheaduponhishand。Severalclerkswereatworkattheotherendoftheroom；thescratchingoftheirpenswasallthesoundIheardduringthenextsixorsevenminutes。Meantimetheinspectorsatthere，buriedinthought。

Finallyheraisedhishead，andtherewasthatinthefirmlinesofhisfacewhichshowedmethathisbrainhaddoneitsworkandhisplanwasmade。Saidhe——andhisvoicewaslowandimpressive:

"Thisisnoordinarycase。Everystepmustbewarilytaken；eachstepmustbemadesurebeforethenextisventured。Andsecrecymustbeobserved——secrecyprofoundandabsolute。Speaktonooneaboutthematter，noteventhereporters。Iwilltakecareofthem；Iwillseethattheygetonlywhatitmaysuitmyendstoletthemknow。"Hetouchedabell；ayouthappeared。"Alaric，tellthereporterstoremainforthepresent。"Theboyretired。"Nowletusproceedtobusiness——andsystematically。Nothingcanbeaccomplishedinthistradeofminewithoutstrictandminutemethod。"

Hetookapenandsomepaper。"Now——nameoftheelephant？"

"HassanBenAliBenSelimAbdallahMohammedMoistAlhammalJamsetjejeebhoyDhuleepSultanEbuBhudpoor。"

"Verywell。Givenname？"

"Jumbo。"

"Verywell。Placeofbirth？"

"ThecapitalcityofSiam。"

"Parentsliving？"

"No——dead。"

"Hadtheyanyotherissuebesidesthisone？"

"None。Hewasanonlychild。"

"Verywell。Thesemattersaresufficientunderthathead。Nowpleasedescribetheelephant，andleaveoutnoparticular，howeverinsignificant——thatis，insignificantfromyourpointofview。Tomeinmyprofessiontherearenoinsignificantparticulars；theydonotexist。"

Idescribedhewrote。WhenIwasdone，hesaid:

"Nowlisten。IfIhavemadeanymistakes，correctme。"

Hereadasfollows:

"Height，19feet；lengthfromapexofforeheadinsertionoftail，26

feet；lengthoftrunk，16feet；lengthoftail，6feet；totallength，includingtrunk，andtail，48feet；lengthoftusks，9？feet；earskeepingwiththesedimensions；footprintresemblesthemarkleftwhenoneup—endsabarrelinthesnow；thecoloroftheelephant，adullwhite；

hasaholethesizeofaplateineachearfortheinsertionofjewelryandpossessesthehabitinaremarkabledegreeofsquirtingwateruponspectatorsandofmaltreatingwithhistrunknotonlysuchpersonsasheisacquaintedwith，butevenentirestrangers；limpsslightlywithhisrighthindleg，andhasasmallscarinhisleftarmpitcausedbyaformerboil；hadon，whenstolen，acastlecontainingseatsforfifteenpersons，andagold—clothsaddle—blanketthesizeofanordinarycarpet。"

Therewerenomistakes。Theinspectortouchedthebell，handedthedescriptiontoAlaric，andsaid:

"Havefiftythousandcopiesofthisprintedatonceandmailedtoeverydetectiveofficeandpawnbroker’sshoponthecontinent。"Alaricretired。"There——sofar，sogood。Next，Imusthaveaphotographoftheproperty。"

Igavehimone。Heexamineditcritically，andsaid:

"Itmustdo，sincewecandonobetter；buthehashistrunkcurledupandtuckedintohismouth。Thatisunfortunate，andiscalculatedtomislead，forofcoursehedoesnotusuallyhaveitinthatposition。"

Hetouchedhisbell。

"Alaric，havefiftythousandcopiesofthisphotographmadethefirstthinginthemorning，andmailthemwiththedescriptivecirculars。"

Alaricretiredtoexecutehisorders。Theinspectorsaid:

"Itwillbenecessarytoofferareward，ofcourse。Nowastotheamount？"

"Whatsumwouldyousuggest？"

"Tobeginwith，Ishouldsay——well，twenty—fivethousanddollars。Itisanintricateanddifficultbusiness；thereareathousandavenuesofescapeandopportunitiesofconcealment。Thesethieveshavefriendsandpalseverywhere——"

"Blessme，doyouknowwhotheyare？"

Thewaryface，practisedinconcealingthethoughtsandfeelingswithin，gavemenotoken，noryetthereplyingwords，soquietlyuttered:

"Nevermindaboutthat。Imay，andImaynot。Wegenerallygatheraprettyshrewdinklingofwhoourmanisbythemannerofhisworkandthesizeofthegamehegoesafter。Wearenotdealingwithapickpocketorahallthiefnow，makeupyourmindtothat。Thispropertywasnot’lifted’byanovice。But，asIwassaying，consideringtheamountoftravelwhichwillhavetobedone，andthediligencewithwhichthethieveswillcoveruptheirtracesastheymovealong，twenty—fivethousandmaybetoosmallasumtooffer，yetIthinkitworthwhiletostartwiththat。"

Sowedetermineduponthatfigureasabeginning。Thenthisman，whomnothingescapedwhichcouldbyanypossibilitybemadetoserveasaclue，said:

"Therearecasesindetectivehistorytoshowthatcriminalshavebeendetectedthroughpeculiarities，intheirappetites。Now，whatdoesthiselephanteat，andhowmuch？"

"Well，astowhatheeats——hewilleatanything。Hewilleataman，hewilleataBible——hewilleatanythingbetweenamanandaBible。"

"Goodverygood，indeed，buttoogeneral。Detailsarenecessary——detailsaretheonlyvaluablethingsinourtrade。Verywell——astomen。Atonemeal——or，ifyouprefer，duringoneday——howmanmenwillheeat，iffresh？"

"Hewouldnotcarewhethertheywerefreshornot；atasinglemealhewouldeatfiveordinarymen。

"Verygood；fivemen；wewillputthatdown。Whatnationalitieswouldheprefer？"

"Heisindifferentaboutnationalities。Heprefersacquaintances，butisnotprejudicedagainststrangers。"

"Verygood。Now，astoBibles。HowmanyBibleswouldheeatatameal？"

"Hewouldeatanentireedition。"

"Itishardlysuccinctenough。Doyoumeantheordinaryoctavo，orthefamilyillustrated？"

"Ithinkhewouldbeindifferenttoillustrationsthatis，Ithinkhewouldnotvalueillustrationsabovesimpleletterpress。"

"No，youdonotgetmyidea。Irefertobulk。TheordinaryoctavoBibleweighsabouttwopound；andahalf，whilethegreatquartowiththeillustrationsweighstenortwelve。HowmanyDoreBibleswouldheeatatameal？"

"Ifyouknewthiselephant，youcouldnotask。Hewouldtakewhattheyhad。"

"Well，putitindollarsandcents，then。Wemustgetatitsomehow。

TheDorecostsahundreddollarsacopy，Russialeather，beveled。"

"Hewouldrequireaboutfiftythousanddollarsworth——sayaneditionoffivehundredcopies。"

"Nowthatismoreexact。Iwillputthatdown。Verywell；helikesmenandBibles；sofar，sogood。Whatelsewillheeat？Iwantparticulars。"

"HewillleaveBiblestoeatbricks，hewillleavebrickstoeatbottles，hewillleavebottlestoeatclothing，hewillleaveclothingtoeatcats，hewillleavecatstoeatoysters，hewillleaveoysterstoeatham，hewillleavehamtoeatsugar，hewillleavesugartoeatpie，hewillleavepietoeatpotatoes，hewillleavepotatoestoeatbran；hewillleavebrantoeathay，hewillleavehaytoeatoats，hewillleaveoatstoeatrice，forhewasmainlyraisedonit。ThereisnothingwhateverthathewillnoteatbutEuropeanbutter，andhewouldeatthatifhecouldtasteit。"

"Verygood。Generalquantityatameal——sayabout——"

"Well，anywherefromaquartertohalfaton。"

"Andhedrinks——"

"Everythingthatisfluid。Milk，water，whisky，molasses，castoroil，camphene，carbolicacid——itisnousetogointoparticulars；whateverfluidoccurstoyousetitdown。Hewilldrinkanythingthatisfluid，exceptEuropeancoffee。"

"Verygood。Astoquantity？"

"Putitdownfivetofifteenbarrels——histhirstvaries；hisotherappetitesdonot。"

"Thesethingsareunusual。Theyoughttofurnishquitegoodcluestowardtracinghim。"

Hetouchedthebell。

"Alaric；summonCaptainBurns。"

Burnsappeared。InspectorBluntunfoldedthewholemattertohim，detailbydetail。Thenhesaidintheclear，decisivetonesofamanwhoseplansareclearlydefinedinhisheadandwhoisaccustomedtocommand:

"CaptainBurns，detailDetectivesJones，Davis，Halsey，Bates，andHacketttoshadowtheelephant。"

"Yes，sir。"

"DetailDetectivesMoses，Dakin，Murphy，Rogers，Tupper，Higgins，andBartholomewtoshadowthethieves。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Placeastrongguard——Aguardofthirtypickedmen，withareliefofthirty——overtheplacefromwhencetheelephantwasstolen，tokeepstrictwatchtherenightandday，andallownonetoapproach——exceptreporters——withoutwrittenauthorityfromme。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Placedetectivesinplainclothesintherailway；steamship，andferrydepots，anduponallroadwaysleadingoutofJerseyCity，withorderstosearchallsuspiciouspersons。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Furnishallthesemenwithphotographandaccompanyingdescriptionoftheelephant，andinstructthemtosearchalltrainsandoutgoingferryboatsandothervessels。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Iftheelephantshouldbefound，lethimbeseized，andtheinformationforwardedtomebytelegraph。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Letmebeinformedatonceifanycluesshouldbefoundfootprintsoftheanimal，oranythingofthatkind。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Getanordercommandingtheharborpolicetopatrolthefrontagesvigilantly。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Despatchdetectivesinplainclothesoveralltherailways，northasfarasCanada，westasfarasOhio，southasfarasWashington。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Placeexpertsinallthetelegraphofficestolistenintoallmessages；

andletthemrequirethatallcipherdespatchesbeinterpretedtothem。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Letallthesethingsbedonewiththeutmost’ssecrecy——mind，themostimpenetrablesecrecy。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Reporttomepromptlyattheusualhour。"

"Yes，Sir。"

"Go！"

"Yes，sir。"

Hewasgone。

InspectorBluntwassilentandthoughtfulamoment，whilethefireinhiseyecooleddownandfadedout。Thenheturnedtomeandsaidinaplacidvoice:

"Iamnotgiventoboasting，itisnotmyhabit；but——weshallfindtheelephant。"

Ishookhimwarmlybythehandandthankedhim；andIfeltmythanks，too。ThemoreIhadseenofthemanthemoreIlikedhimandthemoreI

admiredhimandmarveledoverthemysteriouswondersofhisprofession。

Thenwepartedforthenight，andIwenthomewithafarhappierheartthanIhadcarriedwithmetohisoffice。

II

Nextmorningitwasallinthenewspapers，intheminutestdetail。Itevenhadadditions——consistingofDetectiveThis，DetectiveThat，andDetectiveTheOther’s"Theory"astohowtherobberywasdone，whotherobberswere，andwhithertheyhadflownwiththeirbooty。Therewereelevenofthesetheories，andtheycoveredallthepossibilities；andthissinglefactshowswhatindependentthinkersdetectivesare。Notwotheorieswerealike，orevenmuchresembledeachother，saveinonestrikingparticular，andinthatonealltheothereleventheorieswereabsolutelyagreed。Thatwas，thatalthoughtherearofmybuildingwastornoutandtheonlydoorremainedlocked，theelephanthadnotbeenremovedthroughtherent，butbysomeother（undiscovered）outlet。

Allagreedthattherobbershadmadethatrentonlytomisleadthedetectives。Thatneverwouldhaveoccurredtomeortoanyotherlayman，perhaps，butithadnotdeceivedthedetectivesforamoment。Thus，whatIhadsupposedwastheonlythingthathadnomysteryaboutitwasinfacttheverythingIhadgonefurthestastrayin。Theeleventheoriesallnamedthesupposedrobbers，butnotwonamedthesamerobbers；thetotalnumberofsuspectedpersonswasthirty—seven。Thevariousnewspaperaccountsallclosedwiththemostimportantopinionofall——

thatofChiefInspectorBlunt。Aportionofthisstatementreadasfollows:

Thechiefknowswhothetwoprincipalsare，namely，"Brick"Daffyand"Red"McFadden。Tendaysbeforetherobberywasachievedhewasalreadyawarethatitwastobeattempted，andhadquietlyproceededtoshadowthesetwonotedvillains；butunfortunatelyonthenightinquestiontheirtrackwaslost，andbeforeitcouldbefoundagainthebirdwasflown——thatis，theelephant。

DaffyandMcFaddenaretheboldestscoundrelsintheprofession；thechiefhasreasonsforbelievingthattheyarethemenwhostolethestoveoutofthedetectiveheadquartersonabitternightlastwinter——inconsequenceofwhichthechiefandeverydetectivepresentwereinthehandsofthephysiciansbeforemorning，somewithfrozenfeet，otherswithfrozenfingers，ears，andothermembers。

WhenIreadthefirsthalfofthatIwasmoreastonishedthaneveratthewonderfulsagacityofthisstrangeman。Henotonlysaweverythinginthepresentwithacleareye，buteventhefuturecouldnotbehiddenfromhim。Iwassoonathisoffice，andsaidIcouldnothelpwishinghehadhadthosemenarrested，andsopreventedthetroubleandloss；buthisreplywassimpleandunanswerable:

"Itisnotourprovincetopreventcrime，buttopunishit。Wecannotpunishituntilitiscommitted。"

Iremarkedthatthesecrecywithwhichwehadbegunhadbeenmarredbythenewspapers；notonlyallourfactsbutallourplansandpurposeshadbeenrevealed；evenallthesuspectedpersonshadbeennamed；thesewoulddoubtlessdisguisethemselvesnow，orgointohiding。

"Letthem。TheywillfindthatwhenIamreadyforthemmyhandwilldescenduponthem，intheirsecretplaces，asunerringlyasthehandoffate。Astothenewspapers，wemustkeepinwiththem。Fame，reputation，constantpublicmention——thesearethedetective’sbreadandbutter。Hemustpublishhisfacts，elsehewillbesupposedtohavenone；hemustpublishhistheory，fornothingissostrangeorstrikingasadetective’stheory，orbringshimsomuchwonderfulrespect；wemustpublishourplans，forthesethejournalsinsistuponhaving，andwecouldnotdenythemwithoutoffending。Wemustconstantlyshowthepublicwhatwearedoing，ortheywillbelievewearedoingnothing。

Itismuchpleasantertohaveanewspapersay，’InspectorBlunt’singeniousandextraordinarytheoryisasfollows，’thantohaveitsaysomeharshthing，or，worsestill，somesarcasticone。"

"Iseetheforceofwhatyousay。ButInoticedthatinonepartofyourremarksinthepapersthismorningyourefusedtorevealyouropinionuponacertainminorpoint。"

"Yes，wealwaysdothat；ithasagoodeffect。Besides，Ihadnotformedanyopiniononthatpoint，anyway。"

Idepositedaconsiderablesumofmoneywiththeinspector，tomeetcurrentexpenses，andsatdowntowaitfornews。Wewereexpectingthetelegramstobegintoarriveatanymomentnow。MeantimeIrereadthenewspapersandalsoourdescriptivecircular，andobservedthatourtwenty—fivethousanddollarsrewardseemedtobeofferedonlytodetectives。IsaidIthoughtitoughttobeofferedtoanybodywhowouldcatchtheelephant。Theinspectorsaid:

"Itisthedetectiveswhowillfindtheelephant；hencetherewardwillgototherightplace。Ifotherpeoplefoundtheanimal，itwouldonlybebywatchingthedetectivesandtakingadvantageofcluesandindicationsstolenfromthem，andthatwouldentitlethedetectivestothereward，afterall。Theproperofficeofarewardistostimulatethemenwhodeliveruptheirtimeandtheirtrainedsagacitiestothissortofwork，andnottoconferbenefitsuponchancecitizenswhostumbleuponacapturewithouthavingearnedthebenefitsbytheirownmeritsandlabors。"

Thiswasreasonableenough，certainly。Nowthetelegraphicmachineinthecornerbegantoclick，andthefollowingdespatchwastheresult:

FLOWERSTATION，N。Y。，7。30A。M。

Havegotaclue。Foundasuccessionofdeeptracksacrossafarmnearhere。Followedthemtwomileseastwithoutresult；thinkelephantwentwest。Shallnowshadowhiminthatdirection。

DARLEY，Detective。

"Darley’soneofthebestmenontheforce，"saidtheinspector。"Weshallhearfromhimagainbeforelong。"

TelegramNo。2came:

BARKER’S，N。J。，7。40A。M。

Justarrived。Glassfactorybrokenopenhereduringnight，andeighthundredbottlestaken。Onlywaterinlargequantitynearhereisfivemilesdistant。Shallstrikeforthere。Elephantwillbethirsty。Bottleswereempty。

DARLEY，Detective。

"Thatpromiseswell，too，"saidtheinspector。

Itoldyouthecreature’sappetiteswouldnotbebadclues。"

TelegramNo。3:

TAYLORVILLE，L。I。8。15A。M。

Ahaystacknearheredisappearedduringnight。Probablyeaten。

Havegotaclue，andamoff。

HUBBARD，Detective。

"Howhedoesmovearound！"saidtheinspector"Iknewwehadadifficultjobonhand，butweshallcatchhimyet。"

FLOWERSTATION，N。Y。，9A。M。

Shadowedthetracksthreemileswestward。Large，deep，andragged。

Havejustmetafarmerwhosaystheyarenotelephant—tracks。Saystheyareholeswherehedugupsaplingsforshade—treeswhengroundwasfrozenlastwinter。Givemeordershowtoproceed。

DARLEY，Detective。

"Aha！aconfederateofthethieves！Thething，growswarm，"saidtheinspector。

HedictatedthefollowingtelegramtoDarley:

Arrestthemanandforcehimtonamehispals。ContinuetofollowthetrackstothePacific，ifnecessary。

ChiefBLUNT。

Nexttelegram:

CONEYPOINT，PA。，8。45A。M。

Gasofficebrokenopenhereduringnightandthreemonth；unpaidgasbillstaken。Havegotaclueandamaway。

MURPHY，Detective。

"Heavens！"saidtheinspector；"wouldheeatgasbills？"

"Throughignorance——yes；buttheycannotsupportlife。Atleast，unassisted。"

Nowcamethisexcitingtelegram:

IRONVILLE，N。Y。，9。30A。M。

Justarrived。Thisvillageinconsternation。Elephantpassedthroughhereatfivethismorning。Somesayhewenteastsomesaywest，somenorth，somesouth——butallsaytheydidnotwaittonotice，particularly。Hekilledahorse；havesecureapieceofitforaclue。Killeditwithhistrunk；fromstyleofblow，thinkhestruckitleft—handed。Frompositioninwhichhorselies，thinkelephanttravelednorthwardalonglineBerkleyRailway。Hasfourandahalfhours’start，butImoveonhistrackatonce。

HAWES，DetectiveIutteredexclamationsofjoy。Theinspectorwasasself—containedasagravenimage。Hecalmlytouchedhisbell。

"Alaric，sendCaptainBurnshere。"

Burnsappeared。

"Howmanymenarereadyforinstantorders？"

"Ninety—six，sir。"

"Sendthemnorthatonce。LetthemconcentratealongthelineoftheBerkleyroadnorthofIronville。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Letthemconducttheirmovementswiththeutmostsecrecy。Asfastasothersareatliberty，holdthemfororders。"

"Yes，sir。"

"Go！"

"Yes，sir。"

Presentlycameanothertelegram:

SAGECORNERS，N。Y。，10。30。

Justarrived。Elephantpassedthroughhereat8。15。Allescapedfromthetownbutapoliceman。Apparentlyelephantdidnotstrikeatpoliceman，butatthelamp—post。Gotboth。Ihavesecuredaportionofthepolicemanasclue。

STUMM，Detective。

"Sotheelephanthasturnedwestward，"saidtheinspector。"However，hewillnotescape，formymenarescatteredalloverthatregion。"

Thenexttelegramsaid:

GLOVER’S，11。15

Justarrived。Villagedeserted，exceptsickandaged。Elephantpassedthroughthree—quartersofanhourago。Theanti—temperancemass—meetingwasinsession；heputhistrunkinatawindowandwasheditoutwithwaterfromcistern。Someswallowedit——sincedead；severaldrowned。

DetectivesCrossandO’Shaughnessywerepassingthroughtown，butgoingsouth——somissedelephant。Wholeregionformanymilesaroundinterror—

—peopleflyingfromtheirhomes。Wherevertheyturntheymeetelephant，andmanyarekilled。

BRANT，Detective。

Icouldhaveshedtears，thishavocsodistressedme。Buttheinspectoronlysaid:

"Yousee——weareclosinginonhim。Hefeelsourpresence；hehasturnedeastwardagain。"

Yetfurthertroublousnewswasinstoreforus。Thetelegraphbroughtthis:

HOGANSPORT，12。19。

Justarrived。Elephantpassedthroughhalfanhourago，creatingwildestfrightandexcitement。Elephantragedaroundstreets；twoplumbersgoingby，killedone——otherescaped。Regretgeneral。

O’FLAHERTY，Detective。

"Nowheisrightinthemidstofmymen，"saidtheinspector。"Nothingcansavehim。"

AsuccessionoftelegramscamefromdetectiveswhowerescatteredthroughNewJerseyandPennsylvania，andwhowerefollowingcluesconsistingofravagedbarns，factories，andSunday—schoollibraries，withhighhopes—hopesamountingtocertainties，indeed。Theinspectorsaid:

"IwishIcouldcommunicatewiththemandorderthemnorth，butthatisimpossible。Adetectiveonlyvisitsatelegraphofficetosendhisreport；thenheisoffagain，andyoudon’tknowwheretoputyourhandonhim。"

Nowcamethisdespatch:

BRIDGEPORT，CT。，12。15。

Barnumoffersrateof$4，000ayearforexclusiveprivilegeofusingelephantastravelingadvertisingmediumfromnowtilldetectivesfindhim。Wantstopastecircus—postersonhim。Desiresimmediateanswer。

BOGGS，Detective。

"Thatisperfectlyabsurd！"Iexclaimed。

"Ofcourseitis，"saidtheinspector。"EvidentlyMr。Barnum，whothinksheissosharp，doesnotknowme——butIknowhim。"

Thenhedictatedthisanswertothedespatch:

Mr。Barnum’sofferdeclined。Makeit$7，000ornothing。

ChiefBLUNT。

"There。Weshallnothavetowaitlongforananswer。Mr。Barnumisnotathome；heisinthetelegraphoffice——itishiswaywhenhehasbusinessonhand。Insideofthree——"

Done。——P。T。BARNUM。

Sointerruptedtheclickingtelegraphicinstrument。BeforeIcouldmakeacommentuponthisextraordinaryepisode，thefollowingdespatchcarriedmythoughtsintoanotherandverydistressingchannel:

BOLIVIA，N。Y。，12。50。

Elephantarrivedherefromthesouthandpassedthroughtowardtheforestat11。50，dispersingafuneralontheway，anddiminishingthemournersbytwo。Citizensfiredsomesmallcannon—ballsintohim，andtheyfled。DetectiveBurkeandIarrivedtenminuteslater，fromthenorth，butmistooksomeexcavationsforfootprints，andsolostagooddealoftime；butatlastwestrucktherighttrailandfollowedittothewoods。Wethengotdownonourhandsandkneesandcontinuedtokeepasharpeyeonthetrack，andsoshadoweditintothebrush。Burkewasinadvance。Unfortunatelytheanimalhadstoppedtorest；therefore，Burkehavinghisheaddown，intentuponthetrack，buttedupagainsttheelephant’shindlegsbeforehewasawareofhisvicinity。Burkeinstantlyarosetohisfeet，seizedthetail，andexclaimedjoyfully，"Iclaimthere—

—"butgotnofurther，forasingleblowofthehugetrunklaidthebravefellow’sfragmentslowindeath。Ifledrearward，andtheelephantturnedandshadowedmetotheedgeofthewood，makingtremendousspeed，andIshouldinevitablyhavebeenlost，butthattheremainsofthefuneralprovidentiallyintervenedagainanddivertedhisattention。Ihavejustlearnedthatnothingofthatfuneralisnowleft；butthisisnoloss，forthereisabundanceofmaterialforanother。Meantime，theelephanthasdisappearedagain。

MULROONEY，Detective。

WeheardnonewsexceptfromthediligentandconfidentdetectivesscatteredaboutNewJersey，Pennsylvania，Delaware，andVirginia——whowereallfollowingfreshandencouragingclues——untilshortlyafter2P。M。，whenthistelegramcame:

BAXTERCENTER，2。15。

Elephantbeenhere，plasteredoverwithcircus—bills，anybrokeuparevival，strikingdownanddamagingmanywhowereonthepointofenteringuponabetterlife。Citizenspennedhimupandestablishedaguard。WhenDetectiveBrownandIarrived，sometimeafter，weenteredinclosureandproceededtoidentifyelephantbyphotographanddescription。Allmaskstalliedexactlyexceptone，whichwecouldnotsee——theboil—scarunderarmpit。Tomakesure，Browncreptundertolook，andwasimmediatelybrained——thatis，headcrushedanddestroyed，thoughnothingissuedfromdebris。Allfledsodidelephant，strikingrightandleftwithmucheffect。Heescaped，butleftboldblood—trackfromcannon—wounds。Rediscoverycertain。Hebrokesouthward，throughadenseforest。

BRENT，Detective。

Thatwasthelasttelegram。Atnightfallafogshutdownwhichwassodensethatobjectsbutthreefeetawaycouldnotbediscerned。Thislastedallnight。Theferry—boatsandeventheomnibuseshadtostoprunning。

III

Nextmorningthepaperswereasfullofdetectivetheoriesasbefore；

theyhadallourtragicfactsindetailalso，andagreatmanymorewhichtheyhadreceivedfromtheirtelegraphiccorrespondents。Columnaftercolumnwasoccupied，athirdofitswaydown，withglaringhead—lines，whichitmademyheartsicktoread。Theirgeneraltonewaslikethis:

THEWHITEELEPHANTATLARGE！HEMOVESUPONHISFATALMARCHWHOLE

VILLAGESDESERTEDBYTHEIRFRIGHT—STRICKENOCCUPANTS！PALETERROR

GOESBEFOREHIM，DEATHANDDEVASTATIONFOLLOWAFTER！AFTERTHESE，THEDETECTIVES！BARNSDESTROYED，FACTORIESGUTTED，HARVESTS

DEVOURED，PUBLICASSEMBLAGESDISPERSED，ACCOMPANIEDBYSCENESOF

CARNAGEIMPOSSIBLETODESCRIBE！THEORIESOFTHIRTY—FOUROFTHEMOST

DISTINGUISHEDDETECTIVESONTHEFORCES！THEORYOFCHIEFBLUNT！

"There！"saidInspectorBlunt，almostbetrayedintoexcitement，"thisismagnificent！Thisisthegreatestwindfallthatanydetectiveorganizationeverhad。Thefameofitwilltraveltotheendsoftheearth，andenduretotheendoftime，andmynamewithit。"

Buttherewasnojoyforme。IfeltasifIhadcommittedallthoseredcrimes，andthattheelephantwasonlymyirresponsibleagent。Andhowthelisthadgrown！Inoneplacehehad"interferedwithanelectionandkilledfiverepeaters。"Hehadfollowedthisactwiththedestructionoftwopoolfellows，namedO’DonohueandMcFlannigan，whOhad"foundarefugeinthehomeoftheoppressedofalllandsonlythedaybefore，andwereintheactofexercisingforthefirsttimethenoblerightofAmericancitizensatthepolls，whenstrickendownbytherelentlesshandoftheScourgeofSiam。"Inanother，hehad"foundacrazysensation—

preacherpreparinghisnextseason’sheroicattacksonthedance，thetheater，andotherthingswhichcan’tstrikeback，andhadsteppedonhim。"Andinstillanotherplacehehad"killedalightning—rodagent。"

Andsothelistwenton，growingredderandredder，andmoreandmoreheartbreaking。Sixtypersonshadbeenkilled，andtwohundredandfortywounded。Alltheaccountsborejusttestimonytotheactivityanddevotionofthedetectives，andallclosedwiththeremarkthat"threehundredthousandcitizen；andfourdetectivessawthedreadcreature，andtwoofthelatterhedestroyed。"

Idreadedtohearthetelegraphicinstrumentbegintoclickagain。

Byandbythemessagesbegantopourin，butIwashappilydisappointedintheynature。Itwassoonapparentthatalltraceoftheelephantwaslost。Thefoghadenabledhimtosearchoutagoodhiding—placeunobserved。Telegramsfromthemostabsurdlydistantpointsreportedthatadimvastmasshadbeenglimpsedtherethroughthefogatsuchandsuchanhour，andwas"undoubtedlytheelephant。"ThisdimvastmasshadbeenglimpsedinNewHaven，inNewJersey，inPennsylvania，ininteriorNewYork，inBrooklyn，andeveninthecityofNewYorkitself！Butinallcasesthedimvastmasshadvanishedquicklyandleftnotrace。

Everydetectiveofthelargeforcescatteredoverthishugeextentofcountrysenthishourlyreport，andeachandeveryoneofthemhadaclue，andwasshadowingsomething，andwashotupontheheelsofit。

Butthedaypassedwithoutotherresult。

Thenextdaythesame。

Thenextjustthesame。

Thenewspaperreportsbegantogrowmonotonouswithfactsthatamountedtonothing，clueswhichledtonothing，andtheorieswhichhadnearlyexhaustedtheelementswhichsurpriseanddelightanddazzle。

ByadviceoftheinspectorIdoubledthereward。

Fourmoredulldaysfollowed。Thencameabitterblowtothepoor，hard—workingdetectives——thejournalistsdeclinedtoprinttheirtheories，andcoldlysaid，"Giveusarest。"

Twoweeksaftertheelephant’sdisappearanceIraisedtherewardtoseventy—fivethousanddollarsbytheinspector’sadvice。Itwasagreatsum，butIfeltthatIwouldrathersacrificemywholeprivatefortunethanlosemycreditwithmygovernment。Nowthatthedetectiveswereinadversity，thenewspapersturneduponthem，andbegantoflingthemoststingingsarcasmsatthem。Thisgavetheminstrelsanidea，andtheydressedthemselvesasdetectivesandhuntedtheelephantonthestageinthemostextravagantway。Thecaricaturistsmadepicturesofdetectivesscanningthecountrywithspy—glasses，whiletheelephant，attheirbacks，stoleapplesoutoftheirpockets。Andtheymadeallsortsofridiculouspicturesofthedetectivebadge——youhaveseenthatbadgeprintedingoldonthebackofdetectivenovels，nodoubtitisawide—staringeye，withthelegend，"WENEVERSLEEP。"Whendetectivescalledforadrink，thewould—befacetiousbarkeeperresurrectedanobsoleteformofexpressionandsaid，"Willyouhaveaneye—opener？"

Alltheairwasthickwithsarcasms。

Buttherewasonemanwhomovedcalm，untouched，unaffected，throughitall。Itwasthatheartofoak，thechiefinspector。Hisbraveeyeneverdrooped，hissereneconfidenceneverwavered。Healwayssaid:

"Letthemrailon；helaughsbestwholaughslast。"

Myadmirationforthemangrewintoaspeciesofworship。Iwasathissidealways。Hisofficehadbecomeanunpleasantplacetome，andnowbecamedailymoreandmoreso。YetifhecouldendureitImeanttodosoalso——atleast，aslongasIcould。SoIcameregularly，andstayed——theonlyoutsiderwhoseemedtobecapableofit。EverybodywonderedhowIcould；andoftenitseemedtomethatImustdesert，butatsuchtimesIlookedintothatcalmandapparentlyunconsciousface，andheldmyground。

Aboutthreeweeksaftertheelephant’sdisappearanceIwasabouttosay，onemorning，thatIshouldhavetostrikemycolorsandretire，whenthegreatdetectivearrestedthethoughtbyproposingonemoresuperbandmasterlymove。

Thiswastocompromisewiththerobbers。Thefertilityofthisman’sinventionexceededanythingIhaveeverseen，andIhavehadawideintercoursewiththeworld’sfinestminds。Hesaidhewasconfidenthecouldcompromiseforonehundredthousanddollarsandrecovertheelephant。IsaidIbelievedIcouldscrapetheamounttogether，butwhatwouldbecomeofthepoordetectiveswhohadworkedsofaithfully？Hesaid:

"Incompromisestheyalwaysgethalf。"

Thisremovedmyonlyobjection。Sotheinspectorwrotetwonotes，inthisform:

DEARMADAM，——Yourhusbandcanmakealargesumofmoney（andbeentirelyprotectedfromthelaw）bymakinganimmediate，appointmentwithme。ChiefBLUNT。

Hesentoneofthesebyhisconfidentialmessengertothe"reputedwife"

ofBrickDuffy，andtheothertothereputedwifeofRedMcFadden。

Withinthehourtheseoffensiveanswerscame:

YEOWLDFOOL:brickDuffysbinded2yere。

BRIDGETMAHONEY。

CHIEFBAT，——RedMcFaddenishungandinheving18month。AnyAssbutadetectiveknowthat。

MARYO’HOOLIGAN。

"Ihadlongsuspectedthesefacts，"saidtheinspector；"thistestimonyprovestheunerringaccuracyofmyinstinct。"

Themomentoneresourcefailedhimhewasreadywithanother。Heimmediatelywroteanadvertisementforthemorningpapers，andIkeptacopyofit:

A。——xWhlv。242ht。Tjnd—fz328wmlg。Ozpo，——2m！2m！。M！ogw。

Hesaidthatifthethiefwasalivethiswouldbringhimtotheusualrendezvous。Hefurtherexplainedthattheusualrendezvouswasaglarewhereallbusinessaffairsbetweendetectivesandcriminalswereconducted。Thismeetingwouldtakeplaceattwelvethenextnight。

Wecoulddonothingtillthen，andIlostnotimeingettingoutoftheoffice，andwasgratefulindeedfortheprivilege。

AteleventhenextnightIbroughtonehundredthousanddollarsinbank—notesandputthemintothechief’shands，andshortlyafterwardhetookhisleave，withthebraveoldundimmedconfidenceinhiseye。

Analmostintolerablehourdraggedtoaclose；thenIheardhiswelcometread，androsegaspingandtotteredtomeethim。Howhisfineeyesflamedwithtriumph！Hesaid:

"We’vecompromised！Thejokerswillsingadifferenttuneto—morrow！

Followme！"

Hetookalightedcandleandstrodedownintothevastvaultedbasementwheresixtydetectivesalwaysslept，andwhereascorewerenowplayingcardstowhilethetime。Ifollowedcloseafterhim。Hewalkedswiftlydowntothedimandremoteendoftheplace，andjustasIsuccumbedtothepangsofsuffocationandwasswooningawayhestumbledandfellovertheoutlyingmembersofamightyobject，andIheardhimexclaimashewentdown:

"Ournobleprofessionisvindicated。Hereisyourelephant！"

Iwascarriedtotheofficeaboveandrestoredwithcarbolicacid。Thewholedetectiveforceswarmedin，andsuchanotherseasonoftriumphantrejoicingensuedasIhadneverwitnessedbefore。Thereporterswerecalled，basketsofchampagnewereopened，toastsweredrunk，thehandshakingsandcongratulationswerecontinuousandenthusiastic。

Naturallythechiefwastheheroofthehour，andhishappinesswassocompleteandhadbeensopatientlyandworthilyandbravelywonthatitmademehappytoseeit，thoughIstoodthereahomelessbeggar，mypricelesschargedead，andmypositioninmycountry’sservicelosttomethroughwhatwouldalwaysseemmyfatallycarelessexecutionofagreattrust。Manyaneloquenteyetestifieditsdeepadmirationforthechief，andmanyadetective’svoicemurmured，"Lookathim——justthekingoftheprofession；onlygivehimaclue，it’sallhewants，andthereain’tanythinghidthathecan’tfind。"Thedividingofthefiftythousanddollarsmadegreatpleasure；whenitwasfinishedthechiefmadealittlespeechwhileheputhisshareinhispocket，inwhichhesaid，"Enjoyit，boys，foryou’veearnedit；and，morethanthat，you’veearnedforthedetectiveprofessionundyingfame。"

Atelegramarrived，whichread:

MONROE，MICH。，10P。M。

FirsttimeI’vestruckatelegraphofficeinoverthreeweeks。Havefollowedthosefootprints，horseback，throughthewoods，athousandmilestohere，andtheygetstrongerandbiggerandfreshereveryday。Don’tworry—insideofanotherweekI’llhavetheelephant。Thisisdeadsure。

DARLEY，Detective。

Thechieforderedthreecheersfor"Darley，oneofthefinestmindsontheforce，"andthencommandedthathebetelegraphedtocomehomeandreceivehisshareofthereward。

Soendedthatmarvelousepisodeofthestolenelephant。Thenewspaperswerepleasantwithpraisesoncemore，thenextday，withonecontemptibleexception。Thissheetsaid，"Greatisthedetective！Hemaybealittleslowinfindingalittlethinglikeamislaidelephanthemayhunthimalldayandsleepwithhisrottingcarcassallnightforthreeweeks，buthewillfindhimatlastifhecangetthemanwhomislaidhimtoshowhimtheplace！"

PoorHassanwaslosttomeforever。Thecannonshotshadwoundedhimfatally，hehadcrepttothatunfriendlyplaceinthefog，andthere，surroundedbyhisenemiesandinconstantdangerofdetection，hehadwastedawaywithhungerandsufferingtilldeathgavehimpeace。

Thecompromisecostmeonehundredthousanddollars；mydetectiveexpenseswereforty—twothousanddollarsmore；Ineverappliedforaplaceagainundermygovernment；Iamaruinedmanandawandererontheearthbutmyadmirationforthatman，whomIbelievetobethegreatestdetectivetheworldhaseverproduced，remainsundimmedtothisday，andwillsoremainuntotheend。