OUR BACKYARD CIRCUS 119 



elephant I have ever seen; it could not have been 

 more than a week old. Osa nearly cried out, she 

 wanted it so badly; but she controlled herself, though 

 I could see that she was trembling with eagerness and 

 delight in the way she has when anything strikes her 

 as particularly beautiful or cimning. 



They had not caught either sight or scent of us and 

 I placed my cameras, grinding away, as they went 

 through their maneuvers. First the four older 

 ones would walk ahead, then pause to wait for the 

 little toto, which would come nmning up like a 

 clumsy little pup, back off, then charge under his 

 mother for its dinner. Then it would lie down 

 lazily and the others would considerately wait until 

 it had had its nap out or they thought it had had 

 enough. Then the three would start off, the mother 

 nudging it gently until the little one would at last get 

 up and join the others. All then journeyed sloy^ly 

 on until they reached a mud puddle. Here they lay 

 down, rolled and threw mud over each other, the baby 

 having as good a time as any of them. 



While they were playing I had left my first station 

 and crept up to a bush behind them. But the 

 quick-witted mother, catching the move, turned to 

 the baby, which had trotted off towards me, threw 

 her trunk around it and held it tight for a few seconds, 

 at last giving it a little slap with her tnmk, as much 

 as to say. ' * Here, cut that out. Don't you go running 



