n and the reigning prince and all the other
men, ran on to safety behind the trees.

When Mukna regained his feet, he realized that the men he had attempted
to kill had escaped. And he also realized that now his punishment would
be most terrible--first for the disobedience, then for the attempted
murder. So in an instant he made up his mind to run away; he would
escape to the jungle and become a wild elephant once more--even if he
had to be a solitary wanderer in the jungle.

Sometimes in the wild West of America in the past, men who had
committed crimes would escape from the sheriff into the wilds and become
outlaws. Mukna wanted to do just that. So he turned toward the trees on
the side of the open space, to run away into the jungle.

But a most wonderful thing had happened. Without a word of command from
anyone, all the other bull elephants had stepped to the gaps between the
trees, each to the gap nearest him--as they would have done when they
were wild elephants in a herd, to stop a criminal among them. And all of
them were now facing Mukna.

Mukna turned to the right to find a way of escape to the jungle; but all
the gaps on the right were guarded by bull elephants. Mukna turned to
the left; but all the gaps on the left were guarded likewise. Mukna
turned in all directions; but in all directions the gaps were guarded.
He could not escape.

Then the elephant master recovered from his fright. He stepped out from
behind the tree where he had hidden. For the first time he gave a
command.

"March!" he cried to the elephants.

And the elephants marched toward Mukna. They came nearer and nearer,
till they formed a ring around Mukna near the middle of the open space.
Mukna looked frantically this way and that way; but he saw a ring of
elephants all round him, a dozen yards away; and the tusks of all were
pointed toward him like a row of bayonets.

Then the elephant master and the royal party came and stood just outside
the ring, at the back of the elephants.

_The Trial of the Criminal Elephant--as in a Court of Law_

There they held a trial, just as in a court of law. Mukna was accused of
two crimes: first, disobedience; second, attempted murder. A man was
appointed to defend him at the trial, just as in a court of law a
criminal may have a lawyer to defend him.

The elephant master presided at the trial of Mukna. He was the judge.

When the trial began, Mukna's keeper first gave evidence; that is, he
sa