Be nice now, and come with us."
Umboo had to go along whether he wanted to or not, for the big, tame
elephants would pull him by the ropes. They led him to a sort of
stable, and there he found some green fodder, some palm nuts and a tub
of water. And Umboo drank the water first, for he was very thirsty.
Then he ate and he felt better, though he wondered what had become of
his mother.
But he did not wonder long, for elephants, and other animals, are not
like boys and girls. They grow up more quickly, and get ready to go
about for themselves, getting their own food, and living their own
lives. And Umboo was big enough, now, to get along without his mother.
"Were you once living in the jungle, as I was?" asked Umboo of Chang,
which was the name of one of the tame elephants.
"Surely," answered Chang, "I was as wild as Tusker, your big herd-
leader. But when I was caught in the trap, as you were, and sent to
school, I found the life here was much easier than in the jungle. It
is true I have to do as the mahouts tell me, but they treat me kindly,
they feed me and I never have to go thirsty, and when my toe nails get
too long they smooth them down for me with a rough brick.
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