too much off she stops talking altogether and that pleases me
better, so you see it answers very well."

"But don't you get tired leading such an inactive life?" asked
Billy.

"I used to," answered the elephant, "when I was younger, and
before my mate died. But since she died and I have rheumatism I
don't seem to care much, for without her there would be nothing
to do if I did run away; beside your climate is so cold, and your
forests so skinny and bare looking there would not be any fun
living in them."

"Our forests skinny and bare looking, did you say? You don't know
what you are talking about. I guess our forests are as nice as
yours in India, and not half so full of snakes and chattering
monkeys, to say nothing of the nasty crocodiles and hippopotamuses
that you have in your rivers; and vines growing all over the trees
and from one tree to another, so thickly you can't walk without
making a path for yourself by breaking them down."

"Oh, but that is just what I like," said the elephant, "and the
air is so hot and moist you feel fine, while here you are either
all dried up with heat or shivering with cold."

"Well, every one to his taste, I suppose," and he walked over to
the hyenas' cage to make their acquaintance, out of curiosity, as
he knew little about hyenas.

"My, aren't they homely, sneaky, shifty-eyed looking things!"
thought Billy. "I would not like to meet one alone after dark,
but still I hear they are cowardly and wait until one is dead
before they try to eat him up. I don't think I will make a long
call, for they grin and laugh too much, and their laughter has no
mirth in it. It is just a loud guffaw." So he only stayed a few
minutes and then went on to a beautiful white llama's cage.

"Good morning, Miss Llama," said Billy very politely, for he
wished to get in the good graces of the beautiful Miss Llama whom
he admired very much for her long, silky, white hair and mild,
brown eyes.

"Good morning, Mr. Whiskers," she replied. "How do you find
yourself after our Saturday night's trip?"

"Very well," said Billy, "but I am afraid you must have had a bad
shaking up where the bridge was broken, if you had to go down
that steep embankment to cross the creek."

"You are right; it was steep," said the llama, "and I was nearly
scared to death when I felt the water running into my cage and I
had just given myself up as lost when it commenced to recede, and
I was thrown on my knees by the cage be