But there seemed to be none. The hunters were
left many miles away, and the elephants could rest
and eat in peace. For many months after this
they roamed about, going from place to place in the
jungle as they ate one spot bare of roots and leaves.
Sometimes the place where they drank water would dry
up, and they would have to move to another river or
spring. For an elephant must have plenty of water.
All this while Umboo kept on digging up sweet roots
when ever he felt he wanted some, until he could do
it almost as well as his mother or father could.
One day, when the elephant boy was traveling through
the jungle he looked up and saw, growing on top of
a tree, some palm nuts. Elephants are very fond
of these, and will go a great way to get them.
There are many kinds of palm trees, and on some grow
cocoanuts, and on others dates; but the palm nuts
the elephants eat are different.
Umboo looked up at the palm nuts growing on the tree
in the jungle, and said:
“Oh, how I wish I had some of those.”
“Well,” said Mrs. Stumptail, “how
do you think you can get them?”
“If I were a monkey,” said the elephant
boy, “I could climb up the tree and pick them
off.” Umboo had often, in the jungle, seen
the monkeys do this.
“But you are not a monkey,” said his mother.
“Can you reach up with your trunk and pull down
the nuts?”
Umboo tried, but his trunk was not long enough.
“I guess the only way to get the nuts is to
break down the tree; but how can I do that?”
he asked.
“Your head is the strongest part of you,”
said Mrs. Stumptail. “See if you can knock
the tree over.”
“Bang!” went Umboo’s head against
the tree. The tree shook and shivered, and a
few nuts were knocked down, but not enough.
“Well,” said the elephant boy, as he banged
the tree again, “I don’t mind doing this
for fun, as it doesn’t hurt, but the tree doesn’t
seem to be coming down very fast. And I can’t
get the nuts until it does. What shall I do,
mother?”
“Just think a little harder,” said Mrs.
Stumptail. “I want you to grow up to be
a smart elephant boy, and to do that you must think
for yourself. I shall not always be with you.
Try and think now how to get the tree down.”
“I know!” cried Umboo. “I can
pull it over with my trunk!”
He wrapped his long trunk around the tree and began
to pull. He had often pulled up small trees and
bushes this way, but the palm nut tree was stronger.
Though Umboo pulled and pulled, digging his feet hard
down into the ground, the tree did not come up.
“Oh, dear!” said the elephant boy.
“I don’t believe anyone can get this tree
down, Mother!”
“Nonsense!” exclaimed Mrs. Stumptail.
“Don’t be such a baby. Think hard,
Umboo! You can easily uproot that tree and get
all the nuts you want. Let me see you do it!”
