his one trick."

"I'll try," promised Tum Tum.

The elephants stood in a row. The head circus man cracked his whip, and
called:

"Up on your hind legs!"

Tum Tum gave a little spring, and raised his front legs from the ground.
He settled back on his strong hind legs, and there he was, doing just as
Hoy was doing! Tum Tum had learned his first lesson, just as he had
learned to pile teakwood logs in straight piles.

"Ha! We have one smart fellow in the bunch, anyhow!" cried the circus
man.

Tum Tum was glad when he heard this, just as you would be, if you had
learned your lesson in school. For it is a good thing to learn to do
things, even for an elephant.

But if Tum Tum thought he would get a rest after he had shown that he
could do the trick without being hauled up by a rope, he was sadly
mistaken. Over and over he had to do the trick, until he felt tired,
large and strong as he was.

Some of the elephants could stand up on their hind legs for a second or
so, and then they fell down again. They were made to practice again with
ropes, but no ropes were needed for Tum Tum.

"Well, that's enough for one day," said the head circus man finally.
"Give them all some carrots with their hay. To-morrow we shall try
having them stand on their front legs."

"Will that be harder?" asked Tum Tum of Hoy as he marched to the side of
the barn where the elephants were kept.

"Much harder," said the old elephant. "But I think you can do it."

"I'll try, anyhow," spoke Tum Tum, with a jolly laugh. "I think tricks
are fun."

Standing on his front legs, with his hind ones in the air, was not as
funny as he had thought. In the first place, he had to start with the
rope, and, before he knew it, his hind legs were pulled out from under
him, by the circus men, and Tum Tum was almost standing on his head. Hoy
told him what to do, and how to balance himself, just as he told the
other elephants, and soon Tum Tum could do it very well. When this
practice was over, and when Tum Tum could stand on either his front or
hind legs, without being pulled by a rope, he was given more carrots to
eat.

Tum Tum could now do two tricks, but, as you children know, who have
seen elephants in a circus, there are many others that can be done.

Elephants can be made to sit down in a low, strong chair, they can be
made to stand on top of a small tub, to play see-saw, to ring bells,
play hand organs with their trunks, and do many other queer things