to
do his tricks.
Tum Tum had been in the circus nearly a week before he was taught any
tricks. In that week he had plenty to eat, and good water to drink, some
of which he spurted over himself with his trunk. That was his way of
taking a bath, you see.
Then, one day, some circus men came to where Tum Tum was chained, and
one of them said:
"Now, we'll take out this big elephant, and teach him some tricks. Get
Hoy, so he'll show Tum Tum what we want done."
"Ha! So now the tricks begin!" cried Tum Tum to Hoy.
"Yes, and you want to watch out, and do as you are told, or you may not
like it," said Hoy.
Tum Tum and the older elephant were led to the middle of the circus
ring. The chains were taken off Tum Tum's legs, but a rope was put
around his front ones, and he wondered what that was for. Then Tum Tum
and Hoy were stood in a line with some other big elephants.
"All ready now!" cried a circus man, snapping his long whip. "Stand up!"
Hoy raised himself up on his hind legs, lifting his trunk high in the
air.
"Do as I do! Do as I do!" called Hoy to Tum Tum. "Stand up on your hind
legs."
"I--I can't!" answered Tum Tum, who tried. But he found he could not.
Then a funny thing happened. All of a sudden Tum Tum found his front
legs and head being pulled up in the air by the rope, and, before he
knew it, he was standing on his hind legs whether he wanted to or not.
The circus men had pulled on the end of the rope, which ran through a
pulley, hoisting Tum Tum in the air. That was the way they had of
teaching him to stand up. Several times Tum Tum was let down to the
ground, and hauled up again, and each time he was pulled up, the circus
man would call out:
"Stand up on your hind legs! Stand up on your hind legs!"
"Is this a trick?" asked Tum Tum of Hoy, who did not have to have a rope
around him to pull him up.
"Yes, it is one trick," answered the old elephant. "There are many more,
though, to learn."
Tum Tum was beginning to be tired of being hauled up this way. So were
some of the other elephants, and one of them tried to break loose. But
he was hit with a rope, and squealed so that none of the others tried to
get away.
"Now then, take off the ropes, and we'll see how many have learned their
lesson," said the head circus man.
"Now's your chance to show how smart you are," whispered Hoy to Tum Tum.
"When he tells you to stand up next time, do it all by yourself. Then
you'll have learned t
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