Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant Part 3

All at once the rus.h.i.+ng herd of wild elephants came to a fence in the jungle. It was a strong fence, made of big bamboo trees stuck in the ground. It was such a strong fence that even Mr. Boom, try as he did, could not break it down. When he found that after one or two blows from his head would not break the fence, he called out to the other elephants:

"Never mind the fence! We can't break through it, so we'll run along beside it. Maybe there'll be a hole in it somewhere."

So the elephants rushed through the jungle, alongside of the fence, just as you might do, until you came to a gate, or hole. That was what Mr.

Boom was looking for--a hole in the fence.

But he did not see any. In fact, this fence was a trap, and soon Mr.

Boom and the other elephants knew this.

"Run away from the fence! Run over this way!" called Mr. Boom.

The elephants ran, but soon they saw another fence in front of them--a fence as strong as the first one. Mr. Boom and some of the strong elephants, including Tum Tum, tried to break it down, but they could not. If they had all gotten together, and pushed at one spot, they might have broken it, but they pushed in different places, and the fence held them back.

"Never mind!" called Mr. Boom. "Maybe this fence has a hole in it. We'll run along it and find out."

"Why can't we turn around and go back?" asked Gumble-umble of Tum Tum, behind whom he was now running.

"Because the hunters are behind us," said Tum Tum. "If we turned back, they would surely catch us. The only thing to do is to run on."

Tum Tum was beginning to be a smart elephant, you see. He knew many things about danger. But, had he only known it, there was something he did not know--and this was that he and the others were, even then, running right into a trap.

On and on rushed the elephants. The two lines of fences that had been far apart, were now so close together that they could both easily be seen at once. It was like going down a long lane, in the cow pasture, with a fence on either side.

Then Mr. Boom saw the danger.

"Go back! Go back!" called the big leader elephant. "Go back!"

But it was too late. Right in front of the elephants was a big round place, like a baseball park, with a high fence all around it--a very strong fence. There was a gate by which the elephants could be driven into this park, only it was a trap, and not a park. And there was no way out of it. The fence ran all about it, except this one hole. And through that hole the elephants were being driven.

"Go back! Go back!" cried Tum Tum, waving his trunk at the other elephants as Mr. Boom was doing.

But the elephants were afraid to go back because the hunters were rus.h.i.+ng up behind them. The hunters had driven the elephants into the trap, and were going to keep them there.

Up rode the hunters on tame elephants. Into the trap they drove the wild ones, Tum Tum and all the others.

"Alas! We are caught!" cried Mr. Boom. "Come, let us see if we cannot break through this fence!"

He rushed at it with his big head, but the fence was too strong for him.

Into the midst of the wild elephants came the tame ones, with the hunter-men on their backs. The tame elephants talked to the wild ones.

"Be quiet!" said the tame elephants. "You will not be hurt! See us! We were once like you, but we were caught and we like it. Be quiet!"

Some of the elephants quieted down, but others rushed about, trying to break through the fence. Tum Tum was one of these. Then, all at once two tame elephants, with men on their backs, rushed at Tum Tum. Chains and ropes were thrown over his back, and around his legs. The chains and ropes were pulled tight.

Tum Tum was caught in the trap.

CHAPTER III

TUM TUM AND MAPPO

Tum Tum was not now such a jolly elephant as he had been the day he went in swimming, or as happy as when he pulled up the tree, fell over backward, and laughed at his own joke. No, indeed! Tum Tum was feeling very unhappy now.

"Oh, mamma!" Tum Tum cried. "Oh, papa! What has happened?"

Mr. and Mrs. Tusky were not able to answer Tum Tum. They, too, as well as nearly all the other elephants, had been caught in the trap. Some of them, like Tum Tum, were held fast with chains and ropes, and others were trying to batter down the fence of the trap with their heads. But they felt that they could not do it, as the fence was too strong.

"Let me go! Let me loose!" cried Tum Tum in his elephant language.

Of course the hunter men, who had taken Tum Tum and the others prisoners, did not understand this talk, but they could see that Tum Tum was very strong, and might break loose.

"Better put a couple more chains on that fellow," said one of the hunters to another.

"I guess so," agreed the second hunter. "That is the finest and biggest elephant we have caught in this herd."

At first Tum Tum thought they must be speaking of Mr. Boom, who surely was the largest and strongest elephant in the jungle. But, when Tum Tum looked around, Mr. Boom was not to be seen. He had gotten away. He had turned, and run out of the trap, and he was so big and strong that even the tame elephants, with the hunters on their backs, could not stop him.

Away he rushed into the jungle. But he was very sad, for he alone, of all the herd, had escaped.

"I wonder of whom they can be speaking, so big and strong," thought Tum Tum. He saw two tame elephants, with hunters on their backs, and carrying chains, coming toward him.

"Why--why, they must mean me!" said Tum Tum to himself. He stopped trying to break down the fence, which the hunters had built as a trap, and waited.

"Look out for him," said one of the men. "He looks dangerous. He looks like a bad elephant."

Tum Tum was not a bad elephant. He was very strong, but he was not bad.

"Oh, mamma, what shall I do?" cried Tum Tum, as he saw the tame elephants, with chains, coming closer to him.

For all his great strength, Tum Tum was yet only a boy elephant. He was not very wise. He did not know what to do.

"Listen," said Tum Tum's father. "You are now the leader of the herd, Tum Tum. Mr. Boom is gone, and I am too old to be the leader. So you must be. We elephants will do as you do. If you can break down the fence, and get away from the hunters, we will follow you."

"I will try, once more, to break down the fence," said Tum Tum. "Let some of the strong, young elephants come to help me. Come, Whoo-ee--come, Gumble-umble! We will smash down the fence!"

But one of the tame elephants, who heard what Tum Tum said, called to him, and spoke:

"Oh, brother. Do not break down the fence."

"Why not?" asked Tum Tum, who could easily understand the language of the tame elephant. "Why should I not break the fence, and let my friends, and my father and mother, out of this trap. Why not?"

"Because," answered the tame elephant, with the chains, "you cannot do it. Already you are held with ropes, and soon we will put more chains on you, so that you cannot move."

"And why would you--you who are elephants like ourselves--why would you do this to us, who never harmed you?" asked Tum Tum.