He very much preferred the camp life, and hated those broad, flat roads, with the daily grubbing for grass in the forage reserve, and the long hours when there was nothing to do except to watch Kala Nag fidgeting in his pickets. Little Toomai remembered the Cawnpore elephant-lines and said nothing. There was a bazaar close by, and only three hours' work a day.' Give me brick elephant lines, one stall to each elephant, and big stumps to tie them to safely, and flat, broad roads to exercise upon, instead of this come-and-go camping. I am getting old, and I do not love wild elephants.

This running up and down among the hills is not the best Government service. 'Thou art a boy, and as wild as a buffalo-calf. Then I shall sit on thy neck, O Kala Nag, with a silver ankus, and men will run before us with golden sticks, crying, `Room for the King's elephant!' That will be good, Kala Nag, but not so good as this hunting in the jungles.' When thou art old, Kala Nag, there will come some rich rajah, and he will buy thee from the Government, on account of thy size and thy manners, and then thou wilt have nothing to do but to carry gold earrings in thy ears, and a gold howdah on thy back, and a red cloth covered with gold on thy sides, and walk at the head of the processions of the King. 'The Government may pay for elephants, but they belong to us mahouts. 'Wah!' said Little Toomai, 'thou art a big elephant,' and he wagged his fluffy head, quoting his father. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc.Previous Chapter Next Chapter Ch. ***First impression of the first illustrated edition.

***84 numbered pages plus one un-numbered full page illustration to rear. Contemporaneous gift inscription in sepia ink to front free endpaper 'To Jean Sheelagh from Agnes Lucy as a little present from Lyme Regis, 1937'. ***Very good in buff decorative textured buckram boards with black titles and illustrations to spine and front board. Most of these photographs were taken in India by Mrs. ***Illustrated throughout with black and white photographs from the London Film Production 'Elephant Boy' produced by Alexander Korda, directed by Robert Flaherty and Zoltan Korda. First impression of the first illustrated edition.

Toomai of the elephants