KARI, the elephant, become 5 months antique whilst he become given 
to me to take care of. I become 9 years antique and I ought to 
attain his again if I stood on tiptoe. He regarded to stay 
that excessive for almost  years. We grew together; this is 
probable why I in no way observed out simply how tall he become. He 
lived in a pavilion, beneathneath a thatched roof which rested on 
thick tree stumps in order that it couldn't fall in whilst Kari 
bumped towards the poles as he moved about. 
One of the primary matters Kari did become to keep the lifestyles of a 
boy. Kari did now no longer devour a whole lot however he nonetheless wished 
40 kilos of twigs an afternoon to chunk and play with. Every 
day I used to take him to the river withinside the morning for his 
bath. He might lie down at the sand financial institution at the same time as I rubbed 
him with the easy sand of the river for an hour. After that 
he might lie withinside the water for a protracted time. On popping out his 
pores and skin might be shining like ebony, and he might squeal with delight as I rubbed water down his again. Then I 
might take him with the aid of using the ear, due to the fact this is the very best manner 
to guide an elephant, and depart him on the threshold of the jungle 
at the same time as I went into the wooded area to get a few luscious twigs for 
his dinner. One has to have a completely sharp hatchet to reduce 
down those twigs; it takes 1/2 of an hour to sharpen the 
hatchet due to the fact if a sprig is mutilated an elephant will now no longer 
contact it. 
It become now no longer an clean task to get twigs and saplings for Kari. 
I needed to climb all sorts of timber to get the maximum sensitive and 
smooth twigs. As he become very keen on the younger branches of 
the banyan tree which grows like a cathedral of leaves and 
branches, I become amassing a few, one spring day in March, 
once I abruptly heard Kari calling to me withinside the distance. 
As he become nonetheless very younger, the decision become extra like that of a 
toddler than an elephant. I notion any individual become hurting him, so I got here down from my tree and ran very rapid to the 
fringe of the wooded area wherein I had left him, however he become 
now no longer there. 
I seemed all over, however I couldn't discover him. 
I went close to the threshold of the water, and I noticed a black 
some thing suffering above its floor. Then it rose better 
and it become the trunk of my elephant. I notion he become 
drowning. I become helpless due to the fact I couldn't bounce into 
the water and keep the 4 hundred kilos of him considering 
he become a whole lot better than I. But I noticed his again upward thrust above 
the water and the instant he stuck my eye, he started out to 
trumpet and battle as much as the shore. Then, nonetheless trumpeting, 
he driven me into the water and, as I fell into the stream, I 
noticed a boy mendacity flat on the lowest of the river. He had now no longer 
altogether touched backside however become rather afloat. I got here 
to the floor of the water to take my breath and there Kari 
become standing, his ft planted withinside the sand financial institution and his 
trunk stretched out like a hand anticipating mine. I dived 
down once more and pulled the frame of the drowning boy to the 
floor however, now no longer being an excellent swimmer, I couldn't swim 
ashore and the sluggish cutting-edge become already dragging me down. 
Seeing us float with the aid of using withinside the cutting-edge, Kari, who become typically 
sluggish and ponderous, abruptly darted down like a hawk 
and got here midway into the water wherein I noticed him stretch 
out his trunk once more. I raised up my hand to seize it and it 
slipped. I observed myself going beneathneath the water once more