tly and though, on the southern side of the sky,
big clouds gathered, the morning was beautiful. By Stas' orders, Kali
and Mea, immediately after breakfast, began to gather melons and acacia
pods as well as fresh leaves and all kinds of fodder, which they
deposited upon the brink of the ravine.

As Nell firmly insisted upon feeding her new friend herself, Stas cut
for her from a young bifurcated fig tree something in the shape of a
pitchfork in order to make it easier for her to shove down the supplies
to the bottom of the ravine. The elephant trumpeted from morn,
evidently calling for his refreshments, and when afterwards he beheld
on the brink that same little white being who had fed him the previous
day, he greeted her with a joyful gurgle and at once stretched out his
trunk towards her. In the morning light he appeared to the children
still more prodigious than on the preceding day. He was lean but
already looked brisker and turned his small eyes almost joyfully on
Nell. Nell even claimed that his fore legs had grown thicker during the
night, and began to shove fodder with such zeal that Stas had to
restrain her and in the end when she got out of breath too much, take
her place at the work. Both enjoyed themselves immensely; the
elephant's "whims" amused them especially. In the beginning he ate
everything which fell at his feet, but soon, having satisfied the first
cravings of hunger, he began to grow fastidious. Chancing upon a plant
which was not to his taste, he beat it over his fore leg and afterwards
tossed it upwards with his trunk, as if he wanted to say, "Eat this
dainty yourselves;" finally, after having appeased his hunger and
thirst, he began to fan with his prodigious ears with evident
contentment.

"I am sure," said Nell, "that if we went down to him he would not hurt
us."

And she began to call to him:

"Elephant, dear elephant, isn't it true you would not do any harm to
us?"

And when the elephant nodded his trunk in reply she turned to Stas:

"There, you see he says 'Yes.'"

"That may be," Stas replied. "Elephants are very intelligent animals
and this one undoubtedly understands that we both are necessary to him.
Who knows whether he does not feel a little gratitude towards us? But
it would be better not to try yet, and particularly not to let Saba
try, as the elephant surely would kill him. But with time they become
even friendly."

Further transports over the elephant were interrupted by