ened for any sounds of danger. All he heard was the
crashing of tree branches and bushes, as some of the other elephants,
farther off in the jungle, pushed their way about eating their dinners.

Then, suddenly, some elephant called, trumpeting through his trunk:

"Tum Tum! Hello, Tum Tum! Can't you come out and play?"

"Oh, it's some of your little elephant friends," said Mr. Tum Tum, to
the little boy elephant. I say "little," though Tum Tum was really a
pretty good size. He was much larger than a horse.

"Oh, may I go and play with them?" asked Tum Tum, just as any of you
might have done.

Of course Tum Tum did not speak in words, as you or I would have done.
Instead he spoke in elephant language, though he could also speak and
understand other animal talk. And he could also understand man-talk,
just as, in my other books, I have told you how dogs, cats, pigs and
monkeys can understand what we say to them, though they cannot talk to
us.

"May I go out and play?" asked Tum Tum.

"Oh, I guess so," answered his father. "But do not go too far away. And
you must listen for the sound of the danger trumpet from Mr. Boom. When
he signals that there is danger, you must run back, for that will mean
we shall have to go off farther in the jungle, and hide."

"I'll be careful," promised Tum Tum.

Elephants in the jungle live in big families, or herds. At the head is
the largest elephant of them all, the leader. He is always on the
lookout for danger, and when he sees, hears or smells any, he gives a
signal, or trumpet, through his trunk, and then all the elephants run
away and hide.

Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, stopped eating his dinner, for he had had
enough, anyhow, and off through the jungle he crashed. He did not wait
to go by the path, for he was so big and strong. Even though he was a
little chap, as yet, he could crash through big thick bushes, and even
knock over pretty large trees, if they were in his way.

"I'm coming!" called Tum Tum to his play-fellows, the other elephants.
"I'm coming!"

Tum Tum came to a tree that stood in his way. He could just as well have
gone around it, but that was not what he was used to. He lowered his
head, and banged into it.

"Crash!" over went the tree, broken off short.

"I'll soon be with you!" Tum Tum called again, for he still could not
see his little friends. "Who's there?" he asked.

Back through the jungle came the answer:

"We're all here--Whoo-ee, Gumble-umble