<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></SPAN>CHAPTER XII</h2><h3>TUM TUM'S BRAVE DEED</h3>
<p>Tum Tum tried to get in front of Sharp
Tooth and stop the tiger from getting
out of his cage, but the big elephant
was not quick enough. Besides, the tiger moved
so swiftly, that hardly any one could have
stopped him.</p>
<p>"Come back here! Come back!" cried Tum
Tum, when he saw Sharp Tooth running out of
the tent.</p>
<p>"Indeed I will not! I'm off to the jungle!"
snarled the striped beast. "Come on, Roarer!"
she called.</p>
<p>But Roarer could not, for Maggo, the big elephant,
had placed herself in front of the door
of his cage, and was leaning against it. And
Maggo was so big and heavy that Roarer could
not push open the iron-barred door.</p>
<p>"Get out of my way!" cried the lion to the elephant.</p>
<p>"No, no! I will not!" answered brave Maggo.</p>
<p>Then the lion put his paws through the bars
of the cage and scratched Maggo, but the lady<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</SPAN></span>
elephant did not mind that. She made a loud
noise through her trunk, and this call brought
the keepers on the run. One of them saw what
the matter was.</p>
<p>"Quick!" cried this keeper. "The lion's cage
door is not fastened. He is trying to get out,
but the elephant is holding him in. Quick!
Fasten shut the door!"</p>
<p>Then the circus men, very quickly, made the
door tightly shut, and that was the end of Roarer's
chances for getting out. Oh, but that lion
was angry!</p>
<p>He sprang about the cage, roaring loudly, but
he could not get out to go and join Sharp Tooth,
the tiger.</p>
<p>"Some of you put some salve on the elephant's
scratches," said the head circus man, "while I
look to see if any other animals have gotten
loose."</p>
<p>Then he saw the open door of the tiger's cage,
and he cried:</p>
<p>"Sharp Tooth is loose! We must go and find
that tiger!"</p>
<p>Then some one else called:</p>
<p>"And Tum Tum is gone also!"</p>
<p>"What, Tum Tum gone!" cried the elephant
trainer. "That's so," he said, as he saw that the
place where Tum Tum used to stand was empty.</p>
<p>"I wonder where Tum Tum can be?" said the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</SPAN></span>
keeper. Maggo wished she could tell how Tum
Tum had tried to stop the tiger from running
away, but how the big elephant had not been
in time. However, the head keeper must have
guessed it.</p>
<p>"I don't believe Tum Tum ran away," he said.
"He must have gone out after the tiger. Come
on, we must find them both."</p>
<p>As it happened, the circus performance was
over, so there were no boys or girls, or men and
women, to be frightened by hearing that the
tiger was loose. Sharp Tooth was so excited at
getting out of the cage, that she did not try to
bite anybody. She slipped out of the tent, and
ran toward some woods near the circus lot.</p>
<p>But Tum Tum was right after her. The tiger
could go along very fast, but the elephant could
travel almost as quickly, and he kept right behind
the striped beast.</p>
<p>"Ha! Go on back! Stop following me!"
snarled Sharp Tooth.</p>
<p>"No, I'll not," answered the brave elephant.
"I want you to come back to the circus."</p>
<p>"I'll never come!" snapped the tiger.</p>
<p>"Oh, yes, you will," the elephant said.</p>
<p>The tiger kept on, and Tum Tum followed.
Finally the tiger ran up a tree and crouched out
on a big limb.</p>
<p>"Ha! Now you can't follow me!" she said to<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</SPAN></span>
the elephant. "You can't climb up this tree!"</p>
<p>"No, but I can stay here until you come down,"
said Tum Tum, "and that's what I'll do."</p>
<p>"Bah!" snarled the tiger. "Go away and let
me alone!"</p>
<p>But Tum Tum would not. He <SPAN name="stayed" id="stayed"></SPAN>stayed under
the tree where the tiger was, for he knew that
soon the circus men would come to hunt for
Sharp Tooth, to put her back in her cage.</p>
<p>And, surely enough, that is just what happened.
The head keeper could easily see which
way the tiger and elephant had gone, for, though
Sharp Tooth did not make much of a track,
Tum Tum did. An elephant cannot crash and
push his way through the bushes and trees without
making a broad path. And this path the
circus men followed. Soon they came to the
tree in which Sharp Tooth was crouching.</p>
<p>"Here she is!" cried one. "Bring up the
cage!"</p>
<p>The tiger's empty cage was wheeled under the
tree, and the door was open. Inside was put a
nice piece of meat, such as the tiger loved, and
she was very hungry now.</p>
<p>"You had better go down in your cage and behave
yourself," said Tum Tum.</p>
<p>"No, I will not!" snarled the tiger. But
when the circus men snapped their whips, and
fired off guns, and brought blazing torches, <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</SPAN></span>Sharp Tooth was afraid. Besides, she was very
hungry, and as the lion had not run away with
her, she was afraid she could never get to the
jungle alone.</p>
<SPAN name="Tiger" id="Tiger"></SPAN><span class="toill"><SPAN href="#Illus">Illus</SPAN></span>
<p class="center"><SPAN name="image-8" id="image-8"><!-- Image 8 --></SPAN>
<ANTIMG src="images/illus-122s.png" class="png" height-obs="665" width-obs="400" alt="He stayed under the tree where the tiger was, for he knew that soon the circus men would come to hunt for Sharp Tooth. Page 120" title="He stayed under the tree where the tiger was, for he knew that soon the circus men would come to hunt for sharp tooth." /></p>
<p class="image"><SPAN name="cat" id="cat" href="images/illus-122x.png" class="image">
View larger image</SPAN></p>
<p class="center"><strong>He stayed under the tree where the tiger was, for he knew that<br/>
soon the circus men would come to hunt for sharp tooth.</strong><br/><SPAN href="#stayed">Page 120</SPAN></p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</SPAN></span><br/></p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"I guess I had better go down in my cage,"
said the tiger. "But," she added to Tum Tum,
"if ever I get a chance to scratch you, I will."</p>
<p>Into the cage she jumped, and the circus men
slammed the door shut. The tiger was caught
again.</p>
<p>"Good old boy, Tum Tum!" called the elephant's
keeper to him, as they were going back
to the animal tent. "You saved the tiger from
getting away, and that was a good thing, for
Sharp Tooth might have bitten someone. You
are a very good elephant!"</p>
<p>This made Tum Tum feel quite happy, more
happy even than did the nice big lumps of sugar,
and loaves of bread, he was given for his supper
as a reward.</p>
<p>For you know animals like to be spoken kindly
to, as well we do, boys and girls. You just try
it with your dog. Speak harshly to him, or
scold him, and see how he cringes down, and
tucks his tail between his legs. He knows when
you are not kind to him.</p>
<p>And then try speaking nicely. Tell him what
a good dog he is, and how much you like him,
and see what a change there is.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</SPAN></span>He will jump up, and wag his tail, and bark,
he is so glad because you are speaking kindly to
him. And, if you let him, he will try to kiss you
with his red tongue. Oh, yes, indeed, animals
know a great deal more than most persons think
they do.</p>
<p>So that was how Sharp Tooth got out of her
cage, and how Tum Tum helped to catch her
again. After that the animals' cages were never
left open, even for a second.</p>
<p>"Did you get very scratched?" asked Tum
Tum of Maggo, when everything was once more
quiet in the animal tent.</p>
<p>"No, not much," answered the lady elephant.</p>
<p>"I'm sorry I was not quick enough for the
tiger," said Tum Tum. "Never mind, it is all
over now."</p>
<p>Then the two elephant friends stood side by
side in the tent and ate hay and talked to each
other in elephant language.</p>
<p>And now my story of Tum Tum is drawing to
a close. I shall tell you one more thing that
happened to him, and then I am finished.</p>
<p>One day the circus was showing near a large
city, and great crowds of people came out to see
it. There were boys and girls—more than Tum
Tum had ever seen before. The big tent was
full.</p>
<p>Tum Tum did all his tricks as best he could.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</SPAN></span>
He stood on his head, and on his hind legs. He
sat up at the table, and made believe eat a meal.
In this trick Mappo, the merry monkey, had a
part, for he sat up with Tum Tum, and they both
ate.</p>
<p>When the circus was almost over, and Tum
Tum had played soldier, and marched out of the
ring carrying Mappo on his back, while Mappo
waved a flag, the little monkey, who could see out
of the top of the tent said:</p>
<p>"Tum Tum, we are going to have a big thunder
shower. I can see the lightning and the
black clouds."</p>
<p>"Well, it will not hurt us," said Tum Tum.
"We often used to have thunder storms in the
jungle, and here we are under a tent."</p>
<p>Then, suddenly the storm came. It grew very
black, and the thunder and lightning frightened
the big crowds in the circus tent. It rained very
hard, too, so that some of the tent ropes were
made loose and slipped.</p>
<p>"Run out, quick!" suddenly called a man.
"The tent is going to fall on us! Run, everybody!"</p>
<p>"No! Sit still! Keep your seats!" the circus
men cried, but the crowd was frightened and
ran.</p>
<p>Just then, one of the big poles of the tent began
to fall.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</SPAN></span>"That pole must not fall!" cried Tum Tum's
keeper. "But how can I hold it up? I am not
strong enough."</p>
<p>Then he looked at Tum Tum, the big elephant.</p>
<p>"Ha! Tum Tum will hold up the pole, until
all the people get out of the tent!" cried the circus
man. "Here, Tum Tum," he called.
"Hold up this pole."</p>
<p>Tum Tum knew what was wanted of him.
He pushed his strong head against the pole, and
it did not fall over. Tum Tum held it up, and
the tent did not come down.</p>
<p>"Tum Tum, you are a fine elephant!" cried his
master. "I love you!"</p>
<p>The rain was soon over, and that night, after
the evening performance, the circus went on to
another town.</p>
<p>That brings me to the end of Tum Tum's adventures.
But I have some stories about other
animals, and in the next book I'll tell you about
"Don, a Runaway Dog; His Many Adventures."</p>
<p>As for Tum Tum, he lived in the circus for
many, many years, growing older and stronger
and wiser every day, and everybody thought he
was the jolliest elephant in all the world.</p>
<h4>THE END</h4>
<hr />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</SPAN></span></p>
<h5>STORIES FOR CHILDREN</h5>
<p class="center">(From four to nine years old)</p>
<h4>THE KNEETIME ANIMAL STORIES</h4>
<h5>BY RICHARD BARNUM</h5>
<br/>
<div class="bbox" style="width: 500px;">
<div class="imgl">
<ANTIMG border="0" src="images/illus-072.png" height-obs="110" width-obs="80" alt="Book Illustration" /></div>
<p>In all nursery literature animals have
played a conspicuous part; and the reason
is obvious for nothing entertains a child
more than the antics of an animal. These
stories abound in amusing incidents such
as children adore and the characters are
so full of life, so appealing to a child's
imagination, that none will be satisfied until
they have met all of their favorites—Squinty,
Slicko, Mappo, Tum Tum, etc.</p>
<ol class="decimal">
<li class="one">SQUINTY, THE COMICAL PIG.</li>
<li class="one">SLICKO, THE JUMPING SQUIRREL.</li>
<li class="one">MAPPO, THE MERRY MONKEY.</li>
<li class="one">TUM TUM, THE JOLLY ELEPHANT.</li>
<li class="one">DON, A RUNAWAY DOG.</li>
<li class="one">DIDO, THE DANCING BEAR.</li>
<li class="one">BLACKIE, A LOST CAT.</li>
<li class="one">FLOP EAR, THE FUNNY RABBIT.</li>
<li class="one">TINKLE, THE TRICK PONY.</li>
<li class="one">LIGHTFOOT, THE LEAPING GOAT.</li>
<li class="one">CHUNKY, THE HAPPY HIPPO.</li>
<li class="one">SHARP EYES, THE SILVER FOX.</li>
</ol></div>
<hr />
<p class="center"><i>Cloth, Large 12mo., Illustrated, Per vol. 50 cents</i></p>
<p class="center">For sale at all bookstores or sent (postage paid) on receipt of price by<br/>
the publishers.</p>
<p class="center">BARSE & HOPKINS</p>
<p class="center">Publishers 28 West 23rd Street New York</p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />