, it is the duty of _all_ the grown-up bulls to prevent a bad
elephant among them from committing a crime; and usually it is the bulls
nearest to him who actually stop him from committing the crime. If he
manages to commit the crime _before_ they can prevent him, they surround
him immediately and keep him there like a prisoner, till the president
of the herd comes to punish him.

My dear children, that is a great lesson for us. A good citizen always
helps to keep the law; if he sees anyone breaking the law, he tries to
prevent him from doing so. Some men do nothing, if they see a person
breaking the law; they say, "It is no business of ours." Elephants are
much better citizens of the jungle in that respect; they always try to
prevent a bad elephant from breaking the law.

[Illustration: Elephants Guarding a Bad Elephant]

Now I am going to tell you something that will astonish you--as it has
astonished a good many clever scientific men. Do you know why people are
at all able to use elephants in a circus, and give you pleasure by
making them do tricks? Suppose one of the elephants suddenly went mad?
Then he could kill a dozen people in a minute by just rushing at them
and trampling on them. No _men_ could stop him, even if they had guns
ready all the time; for it might take several minutes to kill an
elephant even with a special kind of gun. And meanwhile the mad elephant
could trample upon scores of people in a crowded circus.

And it is just the same in a procession, when elephants are used to
carry grand people--kings and queens, princes and princesses, lords and
ladies. An elephant in a sudden fit of rage could kill many of them.

Then why do people use elephants in a circus or in a procession? Why do
they trust themselves with such large and strong animals? Just think!

"Because an elephant is naturally docile and gentle," you may say.

That is quite true. But still a bull elephant might get into a _sudden_
fit of rage about something, just like a naughty boy; and as a naughty
boy in a sudden fit of rage might break things, so also that bull
elephant might rush about and trample on people.

Then why do people trust themselves with elephants? Think again!

It is because of the _police system among the elephants themselves_.
Because if any elephant in a circus or a procession tried to do any
mischief, even in a sudden fit of temper, all the other elephants there
would prevent him! The _men_ there might not be