e raised his trunk in
the air and blew a terrible trumpet sound. He hurled rock after rock
into the stream. He walked down its side and kept casting in the rocks
and stones that lay about so plentifully. The river, when the first
stone fell in was shocked by it, and eddied around it in a petulant way.
As stone after stone came splashing in, choking its current, the river
more loudly complained and remonstrated, but to no purpose. Still the
rocks came crushing down, and now the river growing more and more angry,
rushed foaming madly along. Over the rocks and between it rushed and
roared. The moss on the banks and the tall flowers growing out of it,
trembled as the stream rose higher and higher. The Elephant snorted and
blew his terrible trumpet, walking up and down, and throwing rocks and
trees up-torn by the roots, into the rushing flood. At last the rocks
were all thrown in. Not one was left on the banks.

Where now was the beautiful, quiet river? It was turned by the
remorseless Elephant into an angry, hateful flood. It was the Mad River.
Where was the little Squirrel that had saved the Elephant's life and
led him hither, and pleaded for the lovely river that it might be
spared? Dead! crushed by the unthankful, cruel Elephant, and swept down
the stream that dashed so fiercely along!

* * * * *

The Elephant, after he had done this deed of violence, left Mad River
and walked into the woods beyond, cooler in spirit since his anger had
spent itself. He began now to reflect upon his conduct. "The river had
done nothing to me," he thought, "that I should treat it so harshly. And
the Squirrel--I killed the Squirrel, who was my best friend. That was an
unkind act." But though the Elephant thus began to blame himself, he
never thought of turning back, and undoing as much as he might of the
mischief he had done. He kept on his journey and tried to dismiss from
his mind such unpleasant thoughts. The Elephant is called good-natured
because he is so fat; that may be, but really he is both cruel and
cowardly.

[Illustration: "He hurled rock after rock into the stream."]

He was somewhat fatigued by his angry labours and did not go much
further, but coming to a grassy place in the depth of the forest, he lay
down and slept. Nightfall came soon after and still he slept. In the
depth of the night, when all was still and dark, the sky in the north
grew brighter as rays of light shot in quivering ecs