r the water.

To have thought out even that one trick for themselves proves that the
elephants are the wisest of all animals, next after men folks. And
they have thought out many more tricks, as I shall tell you very soon.

But now I shall tell you the next trick that Salar's father taught
him. An elephant often has to break down trees in the jungle to clear
a way for himself; or sometimes he has to do that to make an open
space where he can lie down comfortably. So this is the way Salar's
father taught him to break down trees.

_How Elephants Break Down or Pull Out Trees_

First he chose a small tree, not much thicker than your wrist; this he
pulled out easily with his trunk, just as you might use your hand to
pull out a small shrub. Then he chose a tree about six inches thick.
He tried it first carefully with his trunk; but the tree was too
strong to pull out in that way.

So the old elephant put his foot on the side of the tree, and pressed
with all his weight--as you see in the picture. The tree bent more and
more, and then suddenly broke off near the ground with a loud crack.

"I can do that!" cried Salar, frisking around his father, impatient to
show what _he_ could do.

Salar looked around and saw a tree of about the same size. He made a
dash at the tree, put his right foot on it, and--

His father winked, but said nothing. For all elephants love a joke.

Now the wily old elephant knew that this tree was a banana tree,
although the fruit had not yet started growing on it. The tree looked
quite hard and strong, but it was really very soft and easy to break,
like all banana trees. But Salar did not know that yet!

[Illustration: An Elephant Breaking a Tree with his Foot]

Instead, when he pressed on it with his foot and put his whole weight
on it, just as he had seen his father do to the other tree,--snap went
the tree like a twig, and Salar tumbled head over heels and went
rolling over the ground.

"Haw! Haw! Haw!" laughed the merry old elephant. "Did I not show you,
silly, how to try it first carefully, with your trunk, before putting
your foot on it?"

"Of course you did!" Salar said, remembering.

"That is what men folks mean when they say, 'You have put your foot
into it.' You must remember _never to put your foot into anything
before trying it first with your trunk_," the old elephant went on to
say. "Now watch me knock down a still bigger tree."

This tree was as thick as a man's body. Af