Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant Part 2

"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.

"And you don't want a hunter to shoot you, or to carry you away far off somewhere, do you?"

"You know I don't," and Gumble-umble did not speak quite so crossly this time.

"Well, then," said Whoo-ee, "let's do as Tum Tum is doing, and start for home. There must be some danger, or Mr. Boom wouldn't have called to us that way."

"Indeed he wouldn't," said Tum Tum, and he did not laugh in his jolly way now. "My mother told me to be sure and listen for a call from Mr.

Boom. She said he would be looking for danger, and when he called, I was to hurry home."

Tum Tum was out on the bank of the river now. Gumble-umble was the last one of the elephants to come from the swimming pool.

"Let's hurry," said Tum Tum.

"That's what I say!" cried Th.o.r.n.y. "I don't want to be caught by some hunter."

The elephant children knew what hunters were, for their fathers and mothers had often told them about the natives who tried to catch elephants. Indeed, some of the older elephants had more than once been caught in traps, but they had gotten out.

Without stopping to put on any clothes, for of course elephants do not wear any, Tum Tum and the others hurried off through the jungle toward where the rest of the herd was feeding. Several times as they hastened along, they could hear Mr. Boom trumpeting, and it sounded as though he said:

"Hurry along! Hurry along! There's danger! Danger!"

And Tum Tum and the others did hurry, you may be sure of that.

Before the elephant children reached the place where they had left the herd feeding, Tum Tum saw something pushing through the jungle toward them.

"Look out!" he warned his playmates. "Something is coming!"

The five elephants stopped short, and were beginning to get afraid when, all at once, Tum Tum's mother burst through the bushes and came up to him.

"Oh, I was so frightened!" she said, speaking through her trunk. "I thought you were never coming!"

"Oh, we heard Mr. Boom," said Tum Tum, "and we came on as soon as we could. But what's the matter, mamma?"

"Plenty is the matter, or, rather, is going to be, unless we can get away," said the mamma elephant. "A big band of hunters is in the jungle, and they are coming this way."

"Did you see them?" asked Whoo-ee.

"No, indeed! If we waited until they were close enough for us elephants to see them, they would be so close, that we could not get away. Some monkeys brought word that the hunters were on the march. So we are going to start at once and go afar off, into a deep, dark part of the jungle, where they cannot find us."

"Well, we had a swim, anyhow," said Tum Tum. "I'm hungry, mamma. Have we time to eat?"

"No, indeed," said the lady elephant. "We'll just have to eat as we go along. You children had better go to your fathers and mothers," she said to Whoo-ee, Gumble-umble, Th.o.r.n.y 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.

All that day the herd of elephants kept on, crashing their way through the jungle. They did not follow any path, but made one for themselves.

Through the thick, strong vines they pushed their way, breaking down trees, or pulling them up by their roots. Nothing could stop the elephants when they were running away from danger.

"Oh, dear! This is no fun! I'm tired! 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.

"Well, I'm not going to go so fast," said Gumble-umble. "I'm going to stop and have a rest."

"No, you're not!" exclaimed his father, who came up behind Gumble-umble, just then. "I'm sorry," the papa elephant said, "but you must keep on.

It would never do to stop now, or the hunters would get us. Here, I'll push you along," and with his strong head, Gumble-umble's father shoved his son along, whether Gumble-umble wanted to go or not.

Tum Tum needed no pushing. He was glad enough to hurry along as fast as he could. So were the other small elephants, for they did not want to be caught.

Then, after a while, Mr. Boom signaled that they were far enough off now, and need not hurry any more. 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. Tum Tum found a nice cozy place between his mother and father, and soon he was sound asleep.

For some time after this, the herd of elephants was kept on the move by the hunters. Then, finally, the men with guns were left so far behind that there was no more danger for them. Then all the elephants were glad. They did not have to run through the jungle any more, and they had time to eat and drink.

Tum Tum and his friends went in swimming many times, and Tum Tum grew so fat and large and strong, that he was soon the largest of all the children elephants in the herd. In fact, he was almost as large as his father and mother, and of all the elephants he was the strongest, except only Mr. Boom. No elephant was stronger or braver than Mr. Boom. That was what made him the leader.

One day, when Tum Tum had grown to be a big, fine strong elephant, though as jolly as ever, something happened to him. I shall tell you all about it now.

The herd of elephants was in the forest as before. They were eating away, when, all of a sudden, Mr. Boom gave the signal with his trunk.

"Danger! Danger!" he cried, in his deep, booming voice, that was like distant thunder.

"Oh, we've got to run again!" cried Mr. Tusky, who was the father of Tum Tum.

It is a good thing elephants do not live in houses, and also good that they have nothing to move with them, when they go from place to place, or they would have trouble, because they have to run away from danger so often.

Once again they were on the march, with Mr. Boom in the lead. Now Tum Tum was so big and strong, that he was allowed to march at the head of the herd with Mr. Boom.

"Oh, but I am afraid to have him there," said Mrs. Tusky to her husband.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed the papa elephant. "He must learn to take his place. Some day he will be the leader of the herd, and will warn the others of danger."

Through the forest jungle rushed the elephants, trampling down the trees and bushes. Behind them could be heard the shouts of the hunters, and the firing of guns. There was also the noise of big wooden and tin drums being beaten, and horns being blown. There was also the trumpeting of other elephants--tame elephants. For hunters use tame elephants to help them catch the wild ones.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Through the forest jungle rushed the elephants, trampling down the trees and bushes. Page 24]

"Wait! don't run away! You will not be hurt!" called the tame elephants to Tum Tum, and the other wild ones.

But the wild elephants did not want to be caught. They did not know they would be kindly treated by their masters. All the wild elephants wanted to do was to get away. So with Tum Tum and Mr. Boom at their head, away they rushed through the jungle.