Umboo, the Elephant | Page 8

then we will
keep on marching to a better part of the jungle," she answered.
"I know what I'm going to do when I get on the other shore," spoke
Keedah, as once more he swam up along side of Umboo and his
mother.
"What?" asked the little elephant who was having such a nice ride
across the river. "What are you going to do?"
"I am going to have a slide down hill," went on Keedah, who did not
seem to be going to make any more trouble.
"What's sliding down hill?" asked Umboo, and of course, you
understand, all this talk was in animal language.
"Sliding down hill is fun," went on Keedah. "You know Old Tusker
went up to the top of a place, called a hill, to look and see about the
hunters in the jungle. Well, there is a hill on the other side of this river,
and when we get across I'm going to the top of it and slide down.
"It's hard work going up hill," went on the larger elephant boy, "but it's
easy coming down. You just sit on your hind legs, hold your trunk up
in the air and down you come as fast as anything!"
"And be careful you don't bump into anything," said Mrs. Stumptail.
"Sliding down hill is all right if you don't bump into anything. You
must be careful, Umboo. Don't slide down any hills unless you ask me
first."
"I won't," promised the baby elephant. "But tell me more about it,

Keedah. Did you ever slide down hill?"
"Many a time. I was with the herd last year when we swam this same
river. I could swim then, too, and when we came to the hill I climbed
up. Then I came down lots faster than I walked up, and I went splash
into the river. That didn't hurt at all," he said to Umboo's mother.
"No, it doesn't hurt to slide into the water," said the old elephant lady.
"If you do any sliding, Umboo, see that you splash into the water, and
not on the hard ground."
"I will, after I learn to swim," spoke Umboo.
A little later the herd of elephants were safely across the jungle river.
Some rested in the shade of trees, pulling off the low branches and the
palm nuts. Others rolled in the mud, to make a sort of coating over their
skins, to keep off the flies. Others went to the top of the hill to slide
down, and Keedah went with them.
"Oh, mother! I wish I could slide!" said Umboo, when he saw what fun
the other elephants were having. They really did slide down hill, just as
otters do, only the otter, or beaver, likes to have water on his slide, and
the elephants did not care whether their slide was wet or dry. Down
they came, over sticks and stones, and their skin was so tough that they
never got hurt. And yet a fly could bite through that same hide! But that
is because a fly has a very fine, sharp bill, which can go through the
tiny pores, or holes, in the elephant's skin.
"Oh, I want to slide!" said Umboo to his mother. "I'm big enough, and
if I can't swim when I splash in the water, you can be near to pull me
out. Please let me slide down hill!"
"And did she let you?" asked Snarlie, the tiger, as the elephant stopped
in the telling his story long enough to take a bite of hay. "Did she let
you, Umboo?"

CHAPTER IV

UMBOO LEARNS SOMETHING
Umboo, the big circus elephant, swallowed the sweet hay he had been
chewing, and was about to keep on with the telling of his story about
the things that happened to him when he was a little chap in the Indian
jungle, when a lot of men came in the tent where the animals were
standing about, or resting in their cages.
"Oh, now we can't hear any more of the story," said Chako, the big
monkey, to Gink the little, long-tailed chap.
"Why can't we?" Gink wanted to know.
"Because the circus is going to move on. Our cage will be put on the
steam cars, and away we will go, and Umboo, and the rest of the
elephants, will be put in big box-cars."
"Won't we ever see him again, or hear more of his story?" asked Gink,
who had not been with the circus very long, and so did not know much
about it.
"Oh, yes, of course we'll hear more later on," answered Chako, "but not
until tomorrow. Now the circus is going to move."
And that is just what happened. The men closed the sides of the cages,