Tum Tum, the Jolly Elephant | Page 2

another elephant.
"Who's that calling?" asked Mrs. Tusky, of her husband.
"Oh, it sounds like some of the little boy elephants," said the old papa elephant, as he pulled up a tree by the roots, so he could the more easily take a bite from the tender top leaves.
"I hope it doesn't mean any danger for us," said Mrs. Tusky, looking at Tum Tum, who was busy finishing his dinner.
Elephants, you know, no matter if they are big, are just as much afraid of danger as are other wild animals. Of course they are not so much afraid of the other beasts in the jungles, for the elephant can fight almost anything, even a lion or a tiger.
But an elephant is afraid of the black men, or natives, who live in the jungle, and an elephant is also afraid of the white hunters, who come into the big forest from time to time.
"I hope no hunters are about, to make one of our elephant friends trumpet that way," said Mrs. Tusky, speaking in a way elephants have.
"Oh, no, don't be afraid," said her husband, eating away at his tree leaves. "There is no danger." But, as he said this, he put up his long trunk-nose, and carefully sniffed the air. That is the way animals have of telling if danger is near. They do it by smelling as well as by listening and seeing. Only one cannot see very far in the jungle, as the trees are so thick.
Mr. Tusky also lifted up his big ears, about as large as ten palm-leaf fans, and listened for any sounds of danger. All he heard was the crashing of tree branches and bushes, as some of the other elephants, farther off in the jungle, pushed their way about eating their dinners.
Then, suddenly, some elephant called, trumpeting through his trunk:
"Tum Tum! Hello, Tum Tum! Can't you come out and play?"
"Oh, it's some of your little elephant friends," said Mr. Tum Tum, to the little boy elephant. I say "little," though Tum Tum was really a pretty good size. He was much larger than a horse.
"Oh, may I go and play with them?" asked Tum Tum, just as any of you might have done.
Of course Tum Tum did not speak in words, as you or I would have done. Instead he spoke in elephant language, though he could also speak and understand other animal talk. And he could also understand man-talk, just as, in my other books, I have told you how dogs, cats, pigs and monkeys can understand what we say to them, though they cannot talk to us.
"May I go out and play?" asked Tum Tum.
"Oh, I guess so," answered his father. "But do not go too far away. And you must listen for the sound of the danger trumpet from Mr. Boom. When he signals that there is danger, you must run back, for that will mean we shall have to go off farther in the jungle, and hide."
"I'll be careful," promised Tum Tum.
Elephants in the jungle live in big families, or herds. At the head is the largest elephant of them all, the leader. He is always on the lookout for danger, and when he sees, hears or smells any, he gives a signal, or trumpet, through his trunk, and then all the elephants run away and hide.
Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, stopped eating his dinner, for he had had enough, anyhow, and off through the jungle he crashed. He did not wait to go by the path, for he was so big and strong. Even though he was a little chap, as yet, he could crash through big thick bushes, and even knock over pretty large trees, if they were in his way.
"I'm coming!" called Tum Tum to his play-fellows, the other elephants. "I'm coming!"
Tum Tum came to a tree that stood in his way. He could just as well have gone around it, but that was not what he was used to. He lowered his head, and banged into it.
"Crash!" over went the tree, broken off short.
"I'll soon be with you!" Tum Tum called again, for he still could not see his little friends. "Who's there?" he asked.
Back through the jungle came the answer:
"We're all here--Whoo-ee, Gumble-umble, Thorny and Zunga!"
These were the names of the elephants with whom Tum Tum played. Whoo-ee was a boy elephant, and he had that name, because he used to make a funny sound, almost like his name, when he whistled through his trunk. Gumble-umble was another boy elephant, and he was called that because he grumbled, or found fault, so often.
Thorny was a girl elephant, and she got her name, because she was so fond of eating the tender, juicy leaves from the thorn tree. Zunga was another girl elephant, and she was just