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"What happened, Tum Tum?" asked a third elephant. "Are you playing one of your tricks?" some one else wanted to know. Tum Tum looked up from where he lay on his back in the bushes. He saw Whoo-ee, Gumble-umble, Thorny and Zunga looking at him, their mouths wide open, laughing. And then, instead of getting angry, and being cross, Tum Tum just laughed himself, such a jolly laugh! "Ha!
I'm not going to run any more!" complained Gumble-umble. "I don't believe there is any danger, anyhow." "Oh, but there must be," said Tum Tum, who, with Whoo-ee, was hurrying along beside his play-fellow. "Otherwise they wouldn't make us go so fast," and he pointed with his trunk to Mr. Boom, and some of the older men elephants, who were leading the herd.
"Never mind, I don't care whether I'm first in the water or not," said Tum Tum. "I'll stay with you, Thorny, and Zunga." "Isn't Tum Tum nice?" whispered Zunga to Thorny, as they went along through the jungle. "Yes," said Thorny. Whoo-ee and Gumble-umble hurried on through the woods, and Whoo-ee was the first to splash into the water. "I beat!" he cried.
They were safe, at least for a time. "And I'm glad of it!" exclaimed Gumble-umble. "I can't walk another step," and he lay down to rest. All the elephants were tired, and hungry. But they had come to a place where there was plenty of food and water. Soon they were eating, drinking and getting ready to spend the night in the jungle, for it was now almost dark.
You children had better go to your fathers and mothers," she said to Whoo-ee, Gumble-umble, Thorny and Zunga. "They are, very likely, looking for you." So the four friends of Tum Tum started off, and soon the whole herd of elephants was moving off through the jungle, led by Mr. Boom, who had heard of the danger from a monkey friend.
"Indeed we had!" said Thorny, as she and Zunga waded to the shore, water dripping from them. "That's always the way!" complained Gumble-umble. "Just as we are having fun, something has to happen." "Look here!" exclaimed Whoo-ee, "you don't want to be caught in a trap, do you?" "Of course not," said Gumble-umble.
I'll pull up another tree, and fall again, Gumble-umble, so you can see me do it, if you like." "No, don't. You might hurt yourself," said Thorny, the other girl elephant. "Pooh!" cried Tum Tum. "I'm not afraid!" "Well, never mind about pulling up more trees now," said Whoo-ee. "We called you to come out, and have some fun with us. We are going swimming."
"Let's see who'll be the first one in!" called Whoo-ee, as he began to run. "Oh, don't leave us behind," begged Thorny and Zunga. "Oh, that's the way with girls always making a fuss!" complained Gumble-umble. "Why can't you run like we boys do?" "Because you're bigger and stronger than we are," said Zunga. "Well, we're not going to wait for you," said Gumble-umble.
"It is a place where boys and girls look at us, and feed us peanuts," answered Tum Tum. "I will not go to any circus!" cried Gumble-umble. "I am going to break out of this trap!" "You must not!" cried Tum Tum. "I have said that we would all be good, and I am the leader." "You cannot lead me!" trumpeted Gumble-umble, and he rushed at the fence of the stockade, or trap.
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.
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