was drowning. I was helpless because I
could not jump into the water and save his four hundred pounds
since he was much higher than I. But I saw his back rise above
the water and the moment he caught my eye, he began to trumpet
and struggle up to the shore. Then, still trumpeting, he pushed
me into the water and as I fell into the stream I saw a boy lying
flat on the bottom of the river. He had not altogether touched
bottom but was somewhat afloat. I came to the surface of the
water to take my breath and there Kari was standing, his feet
planted into the sand bank and his trunk stretched out like a
hand waiting for mine. I dove down again and pulled the body of
the drowning boy to the surface, but not being a good swimmer, I
could not swim ashore and the slow current was already dragging
me down. I clutched at reeds on the shore but they broke and the
weight of the boy was tiring out one hand while the other was
already weak from excessive swimming and clutching at the reeds.
Seeing us drift by in the current, Kari who was usually so slow
and ponderous, suddenly darted down like a hawk and came halfway
into the water where I saw him stretch out his trunk again. I
raised up my hand to catch it and it slipped. I found myself
going under the water again, but this time I found that the water
was not very deep so I sank to the bottom of the river and
doubled my feet under me and then suddenly kicked the river bed
and so shot upwards like an arrow, in spite of the fact that I
was holding the drowning boy with my hand. As my body rose above
the water, I felt a lasso around my neck. This frightened me; I
thought some water animal was going to swallow me. I heard the
squealing of Kari, and I knew it was his trunk about my neck. He
pulled us both ashore.

As the boy lay stretched on the ground I recognized the cowherd.
He had gone to bathe in the river, had slipped too far out, and
not knowing how to swim had almost been drowned. I put him flat
on his face on the sand and the elephant put his trunk about his
waist and lifted it gently up and down, and then up again. After
doing this three or four times, the water began to come out of
the boy's mouth and, not knowing what else to do because his body
was cold, I slapped him very hard all over. After that I propped
him up against the elephant's leg. Then the boy slowly came to.

In the meantime all his cows had wandered away in different
directions. As I thought some had gone in