Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant Part 7

"Yes, it is one trick," answered the old elephant. "There are many more, though, to learn."

Tum Tum was beginning to be tired of being hauled up this way. So were some of the other elephants, and one of them tried to break loose. But he was. .h.i.t with a rope, and squealed so that none of the others tried to get away.

"Now then, take off the ropes, and we'll see how many have learned their lesson," said the head circus man.

"Now's your chance to show how smart you are," whispered Hoy to Tum Tum.

"When he tells you to stand up next time, do it all by yourself. Then you'll have learned this one trick."

"I'll try," promised Tum Tum.

The elephants stood in a row. The head circus man cracked his whip, and called:

"Up on your hind legs!"

Tum Tum gave a little spring, and raised his front legs from the ground.

He settled back on his strong hind legs, and there he was, doing just as Hoy was doing! Tum Tum had learned his first lesson, just as he had learned to pile teakwood logs in straight piles.

"Ha! We have one smart fellow in the bunch, anyhow!" cried the circus man.

Tum Tum was glad when he heard this, just as you would be, if you had learned your lesson in school. For it is a good thing to learn to do things, even for an elephant.

But if Tum Tum thought he would get a rest after he had shown that he could do the trick without being hauled up by a rope, he was sadly mistaken. Over and over he had to do the trick, until he felt tired, large and strong as he was.

Some of the elephants could stand up on their hind legs for a second or so, and then they fell down again. They were made to practice again with ropes, but no ropes were needed for Tum Tum.

"Well, that's enough for one day," said the head circus man finally.

"Give them all some carrots with their hay. To-morrow we shall try having them stand on their front legs."

"Will that be harder?" asked Tum Tum of Hoy as he marched to the side of the barn where the elephants were kept.

"Much harder," said the old elephant. "But I think you can do it."

"I'll try, anyhow," spoke Tum Tum, with a jolly laugh. "I think tricks are fun."

Standing on his front legs, with his hind ones in the air, was not as funny as he had thought. In the first place, he had to start with the rope, and, before he knew it, his hind legs were pulled out from under him, by the circus men, and Tum Tum was almost standing on his head. Hoy told him what to do, and how to balance himself, just as he told the other elephants, and soon Tum Tum could do it very well. When this practice was over, and when Tum Tum could stand on either his front or hind legs, without being pulled by a rope, he was given more carrots to eat.

Tum Tum could now do two tricks, but, as you children know, who have seen elephants in a circus, there are many others that can be done.

Elephants can be made to sit down in a low, strong chair, they can be made to stand on top of a small tub, to play see-saw, to ring bells, play hand organs with their trunks, and do many other queer things they never thought of doing in the jungle.

Why, I have seen elephants fire cannon, wave flags, and play baseball.

Elephants are very wonderful, and very wise and lively, for such big animals.

As the winter days went by, Tum Tum learned many tricks in the circus.

He learned to stand with other elephants, in a long row, and let the acrobats jump over him, and he also let the clowns jump right on his broad back. Tum Tum learned to do a little dance, too, but he never danced as well as the ponies could, for Tum Tum was very heavy. Tum Tum also learned how to walk across, and kneel down over his master, who lay flat on the sawdust, and though Tum Tum, with his big body, came very close to the man, he never touched him. If Tum Tum had stepped, even with one foot, on the man, he would have hurt him very much. But Tum Tum was careful.

One day, when spring was near at hand, and when it was nearly time for the circus to travel on the road, from one town to another, Tum Tum was out in front of the barn, helping push some of the big circus wagons about. He pushed them with his strong head.

All at once Tum Tum felt something bite him on the hind leg, and he heard a barking noise, such as monkeys sometimes make.

"Is that you, Mappo?" asked Tum Tum quickly. He could not turn around, for he was pus.h.i.+ng the wagon up hill.

"Bow wow! Bow wow! Bow wow!" was the barking answer, and Tum Tum felt his legs nipped again.

"Stop that, Mappo, if you please," said the big elephant. "Please don't do that, when I am pus.h.i.+ng this wagon."

But Tum Tum's leg was bitten again, and he cried:

"Mappo, I shall squeeze you in my trunk, if you do not let me alone. I like a joke as well as you do, but it is no fun to have your legs nipped when you are pus.h.i.+ng a heavy wagon. Stop it!"

"Bow wow! Bow wow! Bow wow!" came the answer.

"That doesn't sound exactly like Mappo," said Tum Tum. "I wonder who it can be?"

When Tum Tum had pushed the wagon to the top of the hill, he could turn around. Then, instead of seeing the merry little monkey, he saw a big black and white dog, who was barking and nipping at his heels.

"Oh, ho! So it is you, eh?" asked Tum Tum. "Who are you, and what are you biting me for?"

"My name is Don," barked the dog, "and I am biting you to drive you away. I am afraid you might hurt my master. I never saw such an animal as you, with two tails. Go away!" and Don barked louder than before, and once more tried to bite the elephant's feet.

"Here, Don! Don!" called a man's voice. "Come away from that elephant!"

"Bow wow!" barked Don. "I am going to bite him!"

"Oh, are you?" asked Tum Tum. And with that he reached out with his trunk, caught Don around the middle, and lifted him high in the air. Don did not bark now. He howled in fear.

CHAPTER VI

TUM TUM AND THE WAGON

"Please let me down! Oh, please do!" begged Don, the dog, of Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, as the big creature from the jungle held the dog high up in the air.

Tum Tum did not feel so very jolly just then. He did not want to hurt Don, but neither did the elephant like to be nipped on his hind legs, when he was pus.h.i.+ng a wagon.

"Oh, the elephant has our dog!" cried a boy who was with the man who had called after Don. "Oh, papa, will he hurt him?"

"No, Tum Tum won't hurt anyone," said a circus man. "I'll get your dog back for you, but he must be careful of elephants after this."

"He never saw one before," said the boy's father.

All this while Tum Tum was holding Don high in the air in his trunk.

"Oh, won't you let me down?" begged Don.

"I will, if you won't bark at me again, and bite me," said Tum Tum. "I don't want to hurt you, doggie boy, but I can't have you bothering me, when I'm doing my circus work."