They could tell that he was becoming more and more fatigued, but they couldn’t give up. As it got dark, the rescue continued. Finally, after towing the exhausted elephant, the crew got him to safety. They got him to a point that was close enough to the lagoon and in shallow enough water for Jumbo to walk the rest of the way.
They knew that once he found a safe place, he would likely sleep for hours. They had never encountered an elephant in the water before, and it was clear that this was no ordinary occurrence. The animal had been distressed and needed to get some sleep as soon as possible.