a sound
came out of the darkness as if Singh had snapped his teeth together.

Then for nearly five minutes Glyn went on fumbling over the fastenings,
and succeeded at last in throwing open the door, to see a few golden
fleck-like clouds softly bright high overhead, and away to his right the
great animal that had roused him from his peaceful sleep.

He went straight to it without hesitation, and as he got close up, the
huge beast began to mutter and grumble, and raised its trunk, while the
boy felt it creep round his waist like a serpent and hold him tightly.

"What's he going to do next?" thought Glyn. "He must know I'm not
Singh. Why doesn't he come? Hasn't hurt himself, has he?"

Just then Singh appeared at their bedroom window, and called to the
intruder softly, with the result that the trunk was uncurled, raised in
the air, and used like a trumpet, while a shuffling movement suggested
that the animal was about to rise.

"Kneel!" cried Singh, and the animal crouched once more.

"Now you get on his neck, and sit there till I come down."

"It's all very well," grumbled Glyn; "but I don't much like the job
while you are away."

All the same, the boy did not hesitate, but took hold of the crouching
beast's ear, planted the edge of his shoe in one of the wrinkles of the
trunk, and climbed into the mahout's place, his steed raising and
lowering its ears and muttering and grumbling impatiently as if waiting
to be told to rise.

Meanwhile Singh had disappeared from the window, and after what seemed a
very long time made his appearance through the door.

"Oh, what a while you have been!" cried Glyn. "Now then, you had better
come here and sit on him to hold him down while I go and ring the bell.
Here, I say, though, it won't make him think breakfast's ready, will it,
and send him scrambling off after buns?"

"No, no, no! Nonsense!" cried Singh.

"Oh, well, if you don't mind, I don't, because I shall be over there.
But, all the same, I shouldn't like to see him kick up behind and throw
you over his head."

Singh uttered an impatient ejaculation, and began to climb on to the
animal's neck.

"No, no," cried Glyn. "I'm going to get off now."

"No; you must wait till I am up there behind you, and then as you get
down I'll slide into your place."

"But you will have to tell him to lift up his ears, for he's nipping my
legs hard, and they feel as if they were going to hold me down."

"It will be all right,