Ralph Helfer by Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived

to the floor below.
    “Boy, am I glad to see you, Kelly. I was worried that you might have missed the boat or something, and nobody would’ve known I was there, and—”
    “I wouldn’t have forgotten you, boy, but listen, your problems are just beginning. If they find out about you there’ll be the wrath of the captain to answer to. Come on, I’ll show you where they’re keeping the elephants. I put some food down there for you, too.”
    Bram smelled the animal hold long before they arrived. The hay and animal droppings were something he’d spent a lot of time shoveling. The animals were housed in a rather large section of the hold, twenty-five by fifty meters, on the starboard side of the ship. It ran along the bulkhead that separated the seas from the elephants. Each elephant was chained to a large eye bolt welded into the superstructure of the ship.
    Across from the elephants was an army cannon. Painted a dark gray and tied down by several steel cables, it appeared in the dimness like a demented aberration of an elephant. Like its counterparts, it was large, gray, and chained, settling back into the shadows with its long, thick muzzle protruding. A protective shield bridged the wheels, and in the eerie darkness it appeared like a tortured mouth twisted at the corners, giving it Lucifer’s grin.
    Kelly told Bram that the lions, tigers, and other animals were housed in another section of the ship. “Look, kid, I’ve got to go. There’s food hidden in an old blanket next to the stall. Stay out of sight and I’ll pop down every so often to see how you’re doing and bring you more.”
    “Thanks, Kelly, you’re a good friend. I really appreciate all that you’ve done for me. Maybe someday I can—”
    But Kelly was gone. He didn’t understand why Kelly had decided to help him; someday he would ask. Interrupting the darkness came the thunderous blast of an elephant.
    “Mo! It’s me!”
    He ran to her, embracing her trunk. She was so excited she picked him up, swaying with delight. Emma was there, and Tina and Karno. For the next few hours, Bram told them all that had happened to him, how he missed home and his friends. He checked them over, looking for any punctures from the bull hook. He found some on all of them and many on Modoc, four in the base of her trunk, several in both front knees, and three on her head. He was furious. He hated trainers who believed they had to be tough, show authority, be strict. They used the bull hook as a weapon, stabbing, jabbing, causing unnecessary pain when only a bit of patience and understanding were needed. Some trainers had been caught sharpening their bull hooks so as to inflict pain. Bram knew that the true test was to rest the point of the bull hook on the tip of the index finger to see if it drew blood. If it did, it would prove that the trainer’s methods were brutal. It’s a sign that the hook was being used with too heavy a hand.
    Suddenly he heard the echoed talking of men coming fromsomewhere in the hold. They were getting closer. He grabbed his meager belongings and disappeared under the straw behind Mo as two keepers appeared from around the corner.
    “I tell ya, I heard Jumbo bellow,” he heard a voice explain. The voice was familiar to him. He snuck a peek and saw it was Jake, the trainer. With him was an Indian carrying a bull hook, which he referred to as a “choon.” Bram couldn’t be discovered now. Not after all he had gone through. He took a deep breath as he recognized Jake, and crawled back further into the straw. He tried not to breathe at all lest he be heard and discovered.
    “They do not look upset to me,” said the Indian as he came close to where Bram was hiding.
    Jake shook his head, “I heard this one trumpet—something must have bothered her.”
    He heard Jake pat Modoc and walk around the animal. The Indian stood almost directly in front of where Bram was. He closed his eyes and prayed.
    “I do not see anything,” said the