e extreme.

"Go closer, sir? Yes, of course you can. He won't hurt none of you so
long as you don't try to take his apples away. If yer did I shouldn't
like to be you."

"Let's go, then, sir," cried Burney eagerly, and the desire seemed to be
growing in the other boys' breasts.

"Well, I don't know," said Morris; "that is, if you will promise not to
go too close."

"Oh, we won't go too close, sir," cried Slegge warmly, and he looked as
if he were speaking the truth.

The result was that the master, trying very hard to carry off his
disinclination to go with the remark, "We don't often have such an
opportunity as this, boys," led the way across the park-like field of
the Doctor's neighbour towards an extensive orchard, in which, nearly
hidden by the trees, the escaped monster was having his banquet of
apples, and turning a deaf ear, or rather two deaf ears of the largest
size, to all orders to come out.

CHAPTER SIX.

GLYN AND SINGH TO THE RESCUE.

As the party from the school drew nearer they could hear the occasional
crack of a whip and a loud order given in a rather highly pitched tone
to the beast, bidding him come out.

Then followed the snapping of twigs and a peculiarly dull grumbling
sound as if the elephant were muttering his objections to the orders of
his master, the bald-headed man, who still held his hat in one hand, his
yellow handkerchief in the other, and dabbed the big white
billiard-ball-like expanse as if he felt that it was very warm work.

Then there was a _crunch, crunch, crunch_, as if pippins were being
reduced to pulp, and more twigs were heard to snap.

"Let him hear the whip again, Jem," shouted Mr Ramball.

"Oh, he won't come for that, sir," growled the man addressed; but he
made the long cart-whip he carried crack loudly three times in obedience
to the order; and as the fresh party drew as near to the orchard as they
cared to go, after all had given a furtive glance round for a way to
escape, the low grumbling muttering grew louder; while as the animal
moved right into sight so did those who were watching him, and Slegge
and his companions saw Glyn and Singh approach.

There was another movement on the part of the elephant, whose towering
form came through the thickly growing orchard trees to one whose burden
was of a deep rich-red, and here it stood bowing its head up and down,
and slowly shaking it from side to side, while the trunk swung and
turned and turned and sw