14 Jumbo

Jumbo the elephant is one of the most famous animals that ever lived. He was the biggest elephant and the proudest possession of the British Crown. In April of 1882, Jumbo was shipped to a zoo in the United States for a visit. He was an instant success. P. T. Barnum had heard of this giant and the great crowds he attracted. Barnum decided that he would like to have Jumbo in his circus. He thought of a way to get him.

Barnum knew that elephants in captivity have periodic fits of violence. He waited for Jumbo to have such a fit. When it happened, he asked the zoo to sell him the elephant. Jumbo was sold to Barnum, who paid on the spot. Jumbo became the star of the circus. Barnum made a fortune on this star.

But one day tragedy struck Jumbo. It was after a show. The elephant was being led back to his cage near the railroad tracks by his trainers. Suddenly, a bright light blinded them. A train whistled, and brakes screeched as the engineer tried to stop. Dazzled by the light, Jumbo charged right into it. There was a crash that chilled the hearts of those who were there. The confused animal had run head-on into the train’s engine. Jumbo died of a broken neck.

14 Jumbo

大象Jumbo是有史以来最著名的动物之一。它是体型最大的大象，也是英国王室最引以为傲的财产。1882年4月，Jumbo被运到美国的一家动物园进行访问。它一亮相就大获成功。P. T.巴纳姆听说过这头巨兽以及它吸引的大量人群。巴纳姆决定要让Jumbo加入他的马戏团，并想出了一个得到它的办法。

巴纳姆知道圈养的大象会周期性地发作暴力行为。他等着Jumbo出现这样的情况。当事情发生时，他请求动物园把这头大象卖给他。Jumbo被卖给了巴纳姆，巴纳姆当场付款。Jumbo成了马戏团的明星，巴纳姆靠这位明星赚了一大笔钱。

但有一天，悲剧降临到了Jumbo身上。那是在一场演出之后，驯兽师正领着Jumbo回到靠近铁轨的笼子里。突然，一道强光让他们失明了。一列火车鸣着汽笛，工程师试图停车时刹车发出刺耳的声音。被强光晃得眼花缭乱的Jumbo径直冲了过去。发生了一场让在场所有人都心惊胆战的碰撞。这头困惑的动物径直撞上了火车头。Jumbo因颈部骨折而死亡。