Elephant Run

Mya waits outside the house for Nick to come outside. She knocks but gets no answer and assumes he is still asleep. While she waits, she reflects on her surprise that her father allowed her to do this important task. He also let her care for Miss Pretty, the new elephant, and his willingness to let her take on these responsibilities makes her wonder if she might be allowed to become a mahout after all. This is Mya's lifelong dream, but nobody supports her; she recalls her father's words: “It's tradition! Women are not allowed to become mahouts. It's bad luck to even think about it!” (44). That morning, Mya had cared for Miss Pretty, giving her some food and planning to go back later to check on her with Nick. Finally, after two hours, Nick stumbles back to the house, covered in mud and obviously in pain. Mya asks what is wrong, and Nick says he fell on his walk. Nick seems disappointed that Mya is his guide but goes inside to change and walk with her anyway. Mya waits outside, claiming Hawk's Nest is haunted. 

Nick takes a hot bath to soothe his cracked and broken ribs from Hannibal's swat, and then meets Mya downstairs. They walk for about six miles to the elephant training camp, where Magwe and some other mahouts use Burmese to yell at Mya. Magwe says women are not welcome at the camp, but the monk Nick saw near the plantation intervenes and allows Nick and Mya to tour the site. Nick learns about elephant training and meets two five-year-old calves. He also meets a bull elephant going through musth, “a period of temporary madness” (59). Mya reveals that the monk, who approaches the raging bull elephant and speaks into his ear, is the famed monk Hilltop, who came to the plantation with the Sergeant Major. He is thought to be over 100 years old, and he can speak to elephants in their own language.