Elephants (Excerpt, 1947)

see how well she is trained yes sir john mumble while mumbo is showing her skill a truck driver hurries up my truck is off the road do you think you could have helped me out I think mumble can push you out elephants are strong and mumbo has learned to use her strength to push or to pull the truck is in the ditch alongside the road it's really in a bad spot now mr. Thompson we'll see how well mumble can push push what's mumbo what out of the ditch out upon the road goes the truck he well I'll take the elephant she is so well trained that I want you to train our two young elephants that just came over from India yes that will be all right I'll bring them when I come to take mumble today mumble has wandered down to the pond she is using her trunk to give herself a shower bad bob and his father miss her and starts searching mumble takes a drink she first sucks the water up into her trunk and then blows it into her mouth mr. Bradford spies mumbos tracks on the path elephants are fond of water in their native homes in the hot jungles they take baths like this every day soon Bob and his father find mumble in her favorite bathing place nothing like a good cool bath on a hot summer day laughs time is up mumbo come here but mumbo is not in the slightest hurry we're about at mr. Bradford second command mumbo comes slowly out of the water the sharp branches of this tree make a good back scratcher mumbo is refreshed and ready to return to her place on the Animal Farm she now uses her toes to scratch herself elephants also take dust baths mumbo scoops up the dust with trunk a coat of dust protects your skin from insects Bob's little sister has no one to play with so Bob brings mumbo over to stop sister's crying mumbo comes dancing over to the playpen as Bob directs her steps little sister isn't satisfied she wants better tricks so here's another now mumbo sits up just like a trained dog she holds her head and her trunk gracefully well how is this Bob's little sister can have a circus in her own backyard now what's Bob trying to do why he wants to get right up on mumbos back and she boosts him with her trunk Bob often does this and then he rewards mumbo with a lump of sugar sister is really interested now the elephant lowers her head to let Bob slide down easily standing on one's head is a difficult trick but mumbo does it well for an elephant the week has gone by and here comes mr. Thompson the circus man with the new baby elephants here are the two baby elephants you promise to train for me mr. Bradford it's going to be a long hard job as mr. Thompson leads the other new quarters mr. Bradford thinks proudly how well mumbo will perform in the circus this is Bob's first chance to work training baby elephants rivals sugar is usually a great help but it makes these elephants almost too anxious to be friendly well goodbye mr. Thompson good luck to you all right and I hope you bring Bob some time to the circus I will so long may I hope you trained him dad yes Bob on a morning three weeks later the baby elephants are just finishing breakfast the chains are taken off their feet so they can go to practice and new tricks first Bob circles them around into the training ring and the elephant's take their places on large heavy tubs this is a part of a new trick front feet up and now the proper way to sit down that's all for this trick the next trick is to learn to walk the plank this is one of the hardest tricks to teach an elephant with his club awkward feet an elephant has to balance carefully when learning to turn around on the plank this one holds on a little weather trunk well done baby elephant the other elephant is learning to do a funny act for the circus first she rings a dinner bell and Bob brings on a tablecloth now way it goes now Bob brings on a plate a way it goes to but when he puts bread on the plate well that's different