If I could do that and nothing else, you wouldn t be needed to pull the
big guns at all. If I was like my captain--he can see things inside his
head before the firing begins, and he shakes all over, but he knows too
much to run away--if I was like him I could pull the guns. But if I were
as wise as all that I should never be here. I should be a king in the
forest, as I used to be, sleeping half the day and bathing when I liked.
I haven t had a good bath for a month.
That s all very fine, said Billy. But giving a thing a long name
doesn t make it any better.
H sh! said the troop horse. I think I understand what Two Tails
means.
You ll understand better in a minute, said Two Tails angrily. Now you
just explain to me why you don t like this!
He began trumpeting furiously at the top of his trumpet.
Stop that! said Billy and the troop horse together, and I could
hear them stamp and shiver. An elephant s trumpeting is always nasty,
especially on a dark night.
I shan t stop, said Two Tails. Won t you explain that, please?
Hhrrmph! Rrrt! Rrrmph! Rrrhha! Then he stopped suddenly, and I heard
a little whimper in the dark, and knew that Vixen had found me at last.
She knew as well as I did that if there is one thing in the world the
elephant is more afraid of than another it is a little barking dog. So
she stopped to bully Two Tails in his pickets, and yapped round his big
feet. Two Tails shuffled and squeaked. Go away, little dog! he said.
Don t snuff at my ankles, or I ll kick at you. Good little dog--nice
little doggie, then! Go home, you yelping little beast! Oh, why doesn t
someone take her away? She ll bite me in a minute.
Seems to me, said Billy to the troop horse, that our friend Two Tails
is afraid of most things. Now, if I had a full meal for every dog I ve
kicked across the parade-ground I should be as fat as Two Tails nearly.
I whistled, and Vixen ran up to me, muddy all over, and licked my nose,
and told me a long tale about hunting for me all through the camp. I
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