Rataplan

Rataplan (A Rogue Elephant and Other Stories)

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Title: Rataplan
Author: Ellen Velvin
Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5867] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on October 23, 2002]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, RATAPLAN ***

Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

RATAPLAN, A ROGUE ELEPHANT AND OTHER STORIES
By ELLEN VELVIN, F.Z.S.
Author of "Tales Told at the Zoo," "Jack's Visit," Etc.
With illustrations
by GUSTAVE VERBEEK

To GRACE GALLATIN THOMPSON SETON THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
TO THE AUTHOR, COMING AS A STRANGER TO THIS COUNTRY, HER HELP, ADVICE AND LOYAL FRIENDSHIP HAVE BEEN INVALUABLE

PREFACE

If an excuse for this book were needed, the undying interest of young people in both wild and domesticated animals would afford it. From time immemorial they have been amused and instructed by stories of animals, and it is not hard to trace the educational and humane influence of such tales.
There are heroes and tyrants, cruel and gentle natures in the animal world, as in our own, and, judged by our standards, their lives are pastorals or tragedies, even as ours are, while their histories are often even more interesting than those of men or women. Then, too, young people should know that these dwellers in forest wilds have, in part at least, the same aims, hopes and fears as ourselves.
In the preparation of this book the best of authorities have been consulted, and careful study given to the habits, traits and characteristics of the animals whose intimate lives are told in these stories. In addition, I have endeavored to tell young people, as pleasantly as possible, that they often make grave blunders in caring for their pets--blunders due to ignorance as to the requirements of their living toys.
ELLEN VELVIN.
New York City.

CONTENTS

RATAPLAN, ROGUE
GEAN, THE GIRAFFE
KEESA, THE KANGAROO
CARA, THE CAMEL
SICCATEE, THE SQUIRREL
LEO, THE LION
CHAFFER, THE CHAMOIS
JINKS, THE JACKAL
PERO, THE PORCUPINE
TERA, THE TIGRESS
HIPPO, HIPPOPOTAMUS
OSRA, THE OSTRICH
SEELA, THE SEAL
BRUNIE, THE BEAR
MONA, THE MONKEY
BULON, THE BUFFALO

ILLUSTRATIONS

From Drawings by Gustave Verbeek.
"But, oh, what havoc he made"
"Groar joined in with might and main"
"Even his mother looked at him with surprise"
"Sat on one of the boughs and scolded as hard as she could"
"He would take up some small animal and walk coolly off with it"
"Chaffer was the first to meet the hunters face to face"
"Jinks never was so happy as when he was leading his pack"
"Jock had never seen anything like it before"
"Tera sprang at the nearest calf, bringing him to the ground"
"Osra and his wives took up the chickens one by one, and swallowed them whole"
"Furious with rage, Brunie rose up and went to meet them"
"Mona did his best to attract the parrot's attention"

RATAPLAN, ROGUE
In one of the thick, shady and tangled forests of Ceylon a fine, fully-grown elephant was one day standing moodily by himself. His huge form showed high above the tangled brushwood, but his wide, flat feet and large, pillar-like legs were hidden in the thick undergrowth.
He was not standing still, however--for no elephant has ever been known to do that yet--his massive, elongated head, with its wide, flat ears, its long, snake-like, flexible trunk, its magnificent pair of ivory tusks and its ridiculous, little eyes moved gravely to and fro-- up and down--in a wearied but restless manner.
Every now and then he would lift one of his massive legs and put it down again, or sway his whole body from side to side, or throw his trunk up in the air and then wave it round his head and over his back in all directions.
But, in spite of his moody, wearied air, the elephant's tiny eyes looked particularly wicked. And wicked they were, and a true index to the mischief going on in his elephant mind.
He had no herd round him, no brother or sister elephant with whom he could wave trunks, nod heads, or carry on a conversation in elephant language; he was alone, and preferred to be alone, for his irritable