All he needed was the opportunity. With his friends he had followed along with the parade, keeping abreast of the elephants, until finally the parade was halted by the crossing gates at a railroad.
Now was the man’s chance to prove the theory false. The crowd closed in on the parade to get a closer view of the people, and this acted as a cover for the man’s experiment.
Taking his penknife out he placed the point of it against the side of Emperor, as it chanced.
“Now watch me,” he said, at the same time giving the knife a quick shove, intending merely to see if he could prick through the skin. His experiment succeeded beyond the fellow’s fondest expectations. The point of the knife had gone clear through Emperor’s hide.
Emperor, ordinarily possessed of a keen sense of humor, coupled with great good nature, in this instance failed to see the humor of the proceeding. In fact, he objected promptly and in a most surprising manner.
Like a flash, his trunk curled back. It caught the bold experimenter about the waist, and the next instant the fellow was dangling in the air over Emperor’s head, yelling lustily for help. The elephant had been watching the man, apparently suspecting something, and therefore was ready for him.
“Put him down!” thundered Kennedy.
The elephant obeyed, but in a manner not intended by the trainer when he gave the command.
With a quick sweep of his trunk, Emperor hurled his tormentor from him. The man’s body did not stop until it struck a large plate glass window in a store front, disappearing into the store amid a terrific crashing of glass and breaking of woodwork, the man having carried most of the window with him in his sudden entry into the store.
This was a feature of the parade that had not been advertised on the bills.