"May I
have some of the palm nuts, Umboo?"
"Yes," was the answer, for Umboo felt a little proud at what he had
done, and, like a real person, he wanted others to know it.
"Did you ever knock down a palm tree?" asked Umboo of Keedah.
"Often," was the answer. "I learned to dig at the roots just as you
did. But when it rains you don't have to do that."
"Why not?" Umboo wanted to know.
"Because the rain water makes the dirt soft around the roots, and we
don't have to dig it loose with our tusks. Wait until some day when it
rains, and you'll see how easy it is to knock over bigger trees than
this."
And Umboo found that this was so. About a week after that it rained
hard, and to the hot, tired and dusty elephants in the jungle the
cooling showers were a delight. The rain soaked into the ground, until
it was wet and soft, like a sponge.
Umboo, splashing in a mud puddle, walked away from where he had been
standing near his mother.
"Where are you going?" asked Mrs. Stumptail.
"I am going to see if I can do as Keedah said he could do, and knock
over a tree without digging at the roots," answered the elephant boy.
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