many dozens, whether they are in the
jungle or in a plantation.

"Halt!" the old elephant cried, just in time. Salar was not more than
five or six yards from the tree when he heard his father's voice. I
have told you before that, when an elephant child is told to do
anything by his Mamma or Papa, he obeys _at once_, or else he might
fall into some awful danger--just as a child in a town might get run
over by an auto or a street car.

So as soon as Salar heard his father's voice, he halted just where he
was. And that saved him, as you will see.

_The Elephant Taps Suspicious Ground with his Trunk_

His father came up to him, and looked around carefully. Then he
_tapped on the ground with the end of his trunk_.

"An elephant must always tap with his trunk when he is coming to
suspicious ground, before he puts his foot on it," he said to Salar.

"What does suspicious ground mean?" Salar asked.

"Ground where there might be danger, though you do not _see_ the
danger," his father answered.

He went on a couple of yards, tapping the ground before him all the
time. Then he suddenly stopped.

"Gr-r-r-rump!" he cried, "it sounds strange and hollow!"

Most carefully he put his foot forward and _felt_ the ground with it,
as an elephant always does when he thinks there is danger. Now the
ground _bent down_ a little just where he pressed it with his foot!

"I thought so!" he muttered.

Then he felt most carefully all along the _front_ edge of the open
space, first tapping it with his trunk, then pressing on it with his
foot--of course with the toe end of the foot. And all along that front
edge of the open space the ground bent down a little wherever he
pressed it with his foot.

Then he came to the _right side_ of the open space where the banana
tree grew, and tried the ground there also along the edge. And this
ground too bent down a little wherever he pressed it with his foot.

He came to the _back_ of the open space, and tried it in the same way.
And there also the ground bent down a little along the edge, wherever
he pressed it with his foot.

He came around at last to the _left side_, and tried that also. And
there again the ground bent down in the same way.

"All four sides are suspicious!" he cried. "My son, this is _a most
tricky trap_!"

And though he did not see them, a dozen men were hiding in the tops of
trees all around. They were the hunters kept by a great Prince, who
had ordered them to catch