The Wonders of the Jungle, Book One

s: The T

ush to bush. One day they saw a little clear space and in the middle of it a banana tree-

t them in the jungle more than once in many months; for bananas grow m

pace all around the tree was rather level and clear o

y was it strange that the space should be all

t least with small shrubs of different sizes, just as you have seen in fields which are allowed to grow wild. So some

ywhere near it. That also seemed strange! Why? Because banana trees always gr

ther's voice. I have told you before that, when an elephant child is told to do anything by his Mamma or Papa, he obeys at

s voice, he halted just where he was.

s Suspicious Gro

around carefully. Then he tapped on

when he is coming to suspicious ground, befo

cious ground mea

anger, though you do not see t

ping the ground before him all th

cried, "it sounds

, as an elephant always does when he thinks there is danger. Now t

t so!" he

trunk, then pressing on it with his foot-of course with the toe end of the foot. And all along tha

ree grew, and tried the ground there also along the edge. And this

the same way. And there also the ground bent down a lit

e, and tried that also. And there agai

ious!" he cried. "My son,

of trees all around. They were the hunters kept by a great Prince, w

rom side to side and very close to each other; so it was just like the roof of a large room. And on the top of the bamboos they had spread a layer of earth-just like what you have seen in flower beds in a garden; and

on it. They had set up the tree in the middle of that space; and as it would not keep straight, they had firs

the little elephant come right up to the banana tree to eat the bananas, and get caught! For if any elephant ste

bbed him with his trun

aid. "This is a m

as quite as much as you lo

them; I do, I do!" he kept

not know how to reach the bananas and not fall

bit," he said, scratchin

ananas. The hunters also came there the next day, for by this time they were quite excited to see what the wily old el

fferent kinds of traps; and that is how we know all about him and Salar. For when an elephant is very big and has fine t

have been caught by some kind of trap. They are then tamed, and finally trained to do tricks that

trees around. This time the big elephant looked farther into the jungle. Then he saw the long bamboos growing in a clump-the very clump from

e the trap, and thought again for some time. Then he held one end of the bamboo in his trunk, p

n, and gave another jab at the stalk. In this way, after trying many times, he manage

ather told him to keep still. He had not succeeded in getting th

off one or two of the bananas. Then he poked at the stalk of the bunch, but the end o

see why it did not grip the stalk. Of course the end of th

icks the Tr

elephant has very strong teeth at the back of his mouth. As his mouth was very big, that clever elephant chewed as much of the end of the bamboo as his

g Bananas out o

bananas. When the hairy end of the bamboo reached the stalk of the bananas, he began to twist the other end of the bam

care to keep the hairy end of the bamboo

got knotted around the stalk. That was

ots came undone. He pulled the bamboo lap by lap; that is, he pulled the bamboo for about a yard, then he let go and took hold of the b

u how he and Salar

the trick the wily old elephant had played on them! For, as you see, he got t

hey are the brave knights who helped that timid little lady, the blue