"Yes," answered Umboo. "What doing?"

"Do you see Keedah over there, scraping his toe nails on a big stone?"
asked Batu, for sometimes the toe nails of elephants grow too long and
too rough, and have to be worn down. Keedah was doing this to his.

"Yes, I see him," answered Umboo. "What about him?"

"This," answered Batu, with a chuckling laugh that made him shake all
over, for he was quite fat. "We will go up to him, as he stands with
his back to the water, and while I am talking to him, and asking if
his toe nails hurt, you can give him a push and knock him into the
river."

"Oh, yes, we'll do that. It will be fun!" laughed Umboo.

For he knew that it would not hurt Keedah to splash into the water,
and the elephant boys and girls used often to play that trick on one
another, just as you children, perhaps, do at the seashore.

So up to the elephant boy, who was scraping his toe nails on a stone,
slyly went Umboo and Batu. And Batu said:

"Ah, Keedah! Do your toes hurt you very much?"

"Oh, no, not so very much," was the answer. "I am getting to be a big
elephant now, and I do not mind a little hurt."

"Ha! Then maybe you won't mind this!" suddenly cried Umboo with a