elephants were always ready to do this when ordered,
though their mouths, when they opened them, were so small that the
people very seldom succeeded in aiming the missile so that it would go
in.

Rollo and Carlos looked about among the crowd that were assembled at
this place to see if Mr. George was among them; but he was not; and so,
after amusing themselves for some time with the elephants, they walked
along to see what else there was in the garden.

There were a great many people in the garden besides those who seemed to
have come to see the animals. There were groups of children, that seemed
to belong in the vicinity, playing in the _walks, some jumping ropes,
and others_ building little houses of gravel stones. There were women
seated on benches in various little shady nooks and corners, some
sewing, others taking care of babies; while others, at little stands and
stalls, sold gingerbread and cakes. At one place Rollo stopped to look
at two little children that were playing in the gravel and throwing the
little pebble stones about. Their grandmother, who was sitting near,
said something to them in French.

"What does she say?" asked Carlos.

"She says," replied Rollo, "you must not throw gravel in your little
sister's face."

The question in this case and the answer fitted each other very well;
but it was a mere matter of accident, for neither of the boys
understood what the other had said.

Pretty soon the boys came to a place where a great number of people were
standing on a sort of parapet, and leaning upon an iron railing, where
they seemed to be looking down into some cavity. They hurried to the
place, and, stepping up upon the parapet, they looked down too, and
found there a range of dens below the surface of the ground, all full of
bears. These dens were sunken yards, six or eight feet deep, and
enclosed with perpendicular walls all around, so that the bears could
not possibly get out. There were iron railings around the top, and a
great many people were standing there looking down to the bears. There
were four or five of these yards, all in a row; and as there were many
great trees overshadowing them, the place was cool and pleasant. Some of
the bears were walking about on the stone pavement which formed the
bottom of the dens; others were sitting on their hind legs, and holding
up their fore paws to catch the pieces of gingerbread which were thrown
down to them by the people above. There were a numb