the big elephant and also the young one.

The hunters had first dug a huge pit. It was ten feet deep and
twenty-five feet wide on each side; so it was as big as a large room.
Then they had covered the top of the pit by laying many long bamboos
right across from side to side and very close to each other; so it was
just like the roof of a large room. And on the top of the bamboos they
had spread a layer of earth--just like what you have seen in flower
beds in a garden; and on that they had planted grass, to make it look
quite natural--only, they forgot that it might look natural for a
garden, but not for a wild jungle. Or perhaps they thought that an
elephant would not know any better!

And then they had gone to a plantation and fetched from there a banana
tree, with a huge bunch of ripe bananas on it. They had set up the
tree in the middle of that space; and as it would not keep straight,
they had first driven a long bamboo rod right through into the ground,
and then tied the banana tree to the top of the rod.

After doing all that, the hunters were hiding in the trees around.
They were watching to see the big elephant and the little elephant
come right up to the banana tree to eat the bananas, and get caught!
For if any elephant stepped upon that place, the top would give way
under his full weight, and he would fall right through into the pit.

But Salar's father grabbed him with his trunk, and pulled him away.

"Come away!" he said. "This is a most hideous trap!"

But Salar, who loved bananas quite as much as you love ice cream,
began to cry.

"I want the bananas; I want them; I do, I do!" he kept saying over and
over again.

Now his Papa was very fond of Salar, but he did not know how to reach
the bananas and not fall into the pit. He and Salar walked home
slowly.

"I must think it over a bit," he said, scratching his head with a
bough.

He came there the next day with Salar, and looked all around the
place; but he could think of no safe way to get the bananas. The
hunters also came there the next day, for by this time they were quite
excited to see what the wily old elephant would do. In fact, it was
from the chief hunter of that Prince that I heard afterwards what the
elephant did do.

I must tell you here that these hunters had been watching the big
elephant for many years, and trying to catch him by different kinds of
traps; and that is how we know all about him and Salar. For when an
elephant is ve