San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-10-19
Foxy Grandpa's
Stories
A Baby Elephant That Got
in a jam.


We were in the elephant country Of
India. Everywhere there were eie-,
plant tracks. Because, you know,
those big animals make regular tracks
that they use, like We use streets and
roads. You can recognize them at
once by their big footprints.
Now the natives told us that there
would be no trouble at all for us to
see elephants if we would take up our
positions back in the trees by one OF
these tracks and wait.
One old-timcr advised us to take
the track which led down to a pond
where the elephants went at night for
water. lie said there was a mother
elephant and her baby, which he had
seen. and he thought we would.
Now. wouldn't you love to see
big mother elephant and her baby
tr0tting beside her? We were de-
lighted when we heard this, and the
very next afternoon before sunset we
went into the jungle the old man had
told us about and climbed up in
tree right back of the track, which We
easily found.
1t was getting darker and darker.
1 was afraid soon it would be too
dark, and not a trunk had come in
sight yet.
| was thinking we would have to
try it another day, when suddenly we
heard n crashing through the woods.
The sound we heard must have been
something like that, because in very
few minutes out of tho thicket and
onto the track, which was worn by
/ H., ,r aI,,,honA faAtnriptc
huge elephant.
We held our breath as the big beast
| numbered along. Then she stopped
looked around and wagged her trunk.
Look at the babyl" gasped Bob
by. unable to control his excitement.
And l don't blame him. 1 could hard
ly keep from yelling my surprise my
SELF For there trotting beside his
mother was the cutest little baby ele-
plant you ever saw-if you could call
an elephant cute.
Now this baby came running uu
beside his mother and sidled up to her
and rubbed himself against her great
side just as kitten does to its moth
or. We could hardly keep still.
Then it happened. Right across this
trail. on which the mother and son
were travelling on their way to get a
drink for supper was n great tree,
which had fallen and one of the limbs
of the tree formed wedge where il
branchcd off from the trunk.
The mother looked at the tree, step.
ped over it and then waited for her
baby son. He got half way over the
tree, slipped and before We knew it,
there he was wedged right in the fork
Of the tree, with his head on one side
and his tail on the other and his
tummy settling mere tightly into the
"V" every minute.
The mother was panicky for a mo-
mcnt and swayed back and forth ner'
vously. 1 felt sorry for her and won.
dercd if it would be necessary for us
to help her out. I suggested this to
Bunny. but he said:
wait a minute. Watch. Theyrs
pretty smart"
Smart" / should say they are.
The mother climbed over the tree
after she had pulled up a few thai
: were in her way and got right behind
her young son.
, She lowered her head until thu
broadcast part was fairly aimed a
the baby's tail and then she gave
big push. He moved. Again sh
, lowered her head, took aim and agair
she gave him push, and out he wen
scrambling on all tours and his trunl
on the other side. He snuggled up t.
her side, and off down the trail the!
went.
"Some people claim that elephant
are the smartest of all animals, an'
/ 1 believe them" said climbing dowr
out of the tree.