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Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant

<h2>CHAPTER V</h2><h3>TUM TUM AND DON</h3> "Well, this is certainly a funny place," thought Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, as he looked about him. And well might he say so. He found himself inside a large barn, which was nice and warm, and for this Tum Tum was glad, for it felt more like the warmth of his jungle, and Tum Tum, who had been shivering in the cold, outer air, now felt much better. The earthen floor of the barn was covered with sawdust, and all around the sides of the barn were cages containing many animals. There were lions, tigers, wolves, leopards, monkeys, snakes, and many other strange beasts, some of which Tum Tum had seen in his jungle home, and some of which he had never before seen. "I suppose that is where Mappo will be put," thought Tum Tum, as he looked at the cages full of lively little monkey chaps. Then Tum Tum looked and saw a number of[Pg 50] elephants, chained in a row on another side of the circus barn, and he knew that would be his place. Opening out of the big barn was a smaller one, and in that were many horses and ponies. There were many men in the circus barn, and they all seemed to be doing something. Some were carrying pails of water to the animals, others were feeding hay to the elephants, and meat to the lions, tigers and spotted leopards. Tum Tum did not care for meat, but he was very hungry for some of the juicy, green leaves that grew on trees in his jungle. As he could get none of those now, he had to eat dry hay, and very good that tasted, too. He had grown to like it on board the ship. "Bring the elephants over here!" called one circus man to another, and Tum Tum felt himself being led along by a man who had a stick with a hook in the end of it. But the man did not stick the hook in Tum Tum, because Tum Tum was good and gentle now. Tum Tum, though he had been a wild elephant in the jungle only a few weeks before, had learned many things, since he had been caught. He had learned that men were his friends, and would not hurt him, though they made him do as they wanted him to, and ordered him about as though he were a little dog instead[Pg 51] of a big, strong elephant. The men did not seem to be afraid of Tum Tum, though he was a little afraid of them, especially when they carried sharp hooks, which hurt one's skin. "Come along!" cried the man who was leading Tum Tum and the others, and over to one side of the circus barn they went, to be chained by a leg to a very strong stake driven into the ground. "Feed them up well," said the first man, "and then we'll see about putting them through some tricks." "Ha!" thought Tum Tum. "So the tricks are to begin soon, are they? I wonder what kind I shall do, and whether I shall like them or not?" Tum Tum waited anxiously to see what would happen next. What did happen was that he got something to eat, and a little treat into the bargain. For with the big pile of hay that was given him, there were some long, pointed yellow things. "Ha! What are those?" asked Tum Tum of Hoy, the big, tame elephant who had been in a circus before. "They are carrots," said Hoy. "Are they good to eat?" asked Tum Tum. "Try and see," answered Hoy, with a twinkle[Pg 52] in his little eyes. He was eating the yellow carrots as fast as he could. Tum Tum took one little bite, holding the carrot in his trunk. And, as soon as he chewed on it, he knew that he liked carrots very much. "Ha! That is certainly good!" he said to Hoy. "I wish I had carrots every day." "Oh, but you won't get them every day," said the old elephant. "They are just special, to get you to feeling jolly, so you will learn your tricks more easily." "Well, I feel pretty jolly anyhow," said Tum Tum. "I'll do any tricks I can." He did not know yet all that was to happen to him, before he learned to do his tricks. Tum Tum had been in the circus nearly a week before he was taught any tricks. In that week he had plenty to eat, and good water to drink, some of which he spurted over himself with his trunk. That was his way of taking a bath, you see. Then, one day, some circus men came to where Tum Tum was chained, and one of them said: "Now, we'll take out this big elephant, and teach him some tricks. Get Hoy, so he'll show Tum Tum what we want done." "Ha! So now the tricks begin!" cried Tum Tum to Hoy. "Yes, and you want to watch out, and do as[Pg 53] you are told, or you may not like it," said Hoy. Tum Tum and the older elephant were led to the middle of the circus ring. The chains were taken off Tum Tum's legs, but a rope was put around his front ones, and he wondered what that was for. Then Tum Tum and Hoy were stood in a line with some other big elephants. "All ready now!" cried a circus man, snapping his long whip. "Stand up!" Hoy raised himself up on his hind legs, lifting his trunk high in the air. "Do as I do! Do as I do!" called Hoy to Tum Tum. "Stand up on your hind legs." "I—I can't!" answered Tum Tum, who tried. But he found he could not. Then a funny thing happened. All of a sudden Tum Tum found his front legs and head being pulled up in the air by the rope, and, before he knew it, he was standing on his hind legs whether he wanted to or not. The circus men had pulled on the end of the rope, which ran through a pulley, hoisting Tum Tum in the air. That was the way they had of teaching him to stand up. Several times Tum Tum was let down to the ground, and hauled up again, and each time he was pulled up, the circus man would call out: "Stand up on your hind legs! Stand up on your hind legs!" [Pg 54]"Is this a trick?" asked Tum Tum of Hoy, who did not have to have a rope around him to pull him up. "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 hit 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. [Pg 55]"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[Pg 56] 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[Pg 57] 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 pushing 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 pushing this wagon." [Pg 58]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 pushing 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[Pg 59] 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. Contents <hr /> [Pg 60] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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