Only the other day I saw what might have been a fatal accident. This is hat happened. The prime minister was to visit our town. People were busy cleaning the roads, decorating the streets with flags and buntings, and erecting artificial gates. The Maharaja of Mysore had to the town, and had brought with him his elephants.

We were a holiday, taken o the railway station, and made stand in rows on either side of the road. We were to welcome the prime minister when he passed by us. We were waiting for the prime minister’s procession when we saw a big elephant coming down the street. It was covered with a beautiful red velvet cloth, richly embroidered with gold thread. It looked very grand, with its cloth, richly embroidered with gold tread. It looked very grand, with its head and trunk painted in many colors. We saw no one on the back of the elephant. It was clear that it had escaped and was enjoying a lordly walk on the road.

Image via Wikipedia

Just then a police officer came there riding on his horse from the opposite direction. The horse was frightened at the sight of the elephant. It raised its fore-legs high up in the air. The police officer pulled at the reins but he could not control the horse. It ran right into a cyclist coming at full speed. There was a great smash. The cyclist was thrown off his bicycle and had a nasty fall; his bicycle dashed against a lamp-post and was badly damaged. The horse dashed down the road, throwing the police officer from its back. A crowd gartered on the spot. The police officer seemed to have seriously hurt. He lay unconscious. He was taken to hospital. The horse received no injury at all. And the elephant went on it’s as though it had nothing to do with the accident.