eant to pass straight through, and he did
so. The great iron peg got across a couple of tough old stumps of the
hawthorn bushes and drew him up short, but only for a few moments; the
huge beast putting forth its strength and dragging them out by the
roots, after which it turned off to the left, to go on straight through
the still sleeping town, making its way in the calmest manner for the
show-field at the back of the principal hotel. Here it stopped at last
close to the loosened earth from which it had originally wrenched the
picket; and then, raising its trunk, blew such a blast that it produced
a chaotic burst of sounds from the quadrangle of cages and dens, each
creature after its kind joining in the chorus, and rousing and bringing
every keeper and labourer attached to the menagerie upon the scene, the
last to arrive, eager and smiling, but before anything was done, being
the proprietor himself, who came up cheering and waving hat and
handkerchief in the air.

"Think of that now!" he cried. "I say, young gentlemen, it all points
to it, you see, and you needn't tell me; the old Rajah saw what was
right. He only went to fetch you, and you've come to stay."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

"HALT! RIGHT FACE!"

The yellow silk handkerchief was brought a great deal into use by Mr
Ramball to dab his head; and once Glyn nudged his schoolfellow's elbow
and suggested that the proprietor was going to cry with disappointment
from being told that he was labouring under a very grave mistake.

Soon after the two boys slipped away so as to make for the school and
excuse themselves for being out of bounds and going out unseen so early
in the morning.

They "slipped away" at Ramball's request. "Just walk up and down with
me a few times," he said, "till we get on the other side of the
caravans. No, not yet," he said. "I have sent one of the men for a big
basket of carrots. They are nice and sweet, and his highness likes
them. Once get him busy on them and he won't notice you going."

A big two-handled basket made its appearance a few minutes later, piled
up with the orange-red vegetables, and carried by a couple of Ramball's
men.

"Just give him two or three yourselves, gentlemen," said the proprietor,
"and start him on them. Then get behind him and walk right away
straight from his tail. You may do anything of that sort, as I dare say
you know, without his seeing. Elephants are very stupid beasts about
what goes on beh