“Do any of the men go in the cages and make the animals perform here?”
“Oh, yes. Wallace, the big lion over there, performs every afternoon and night. So does the tiger in the cage next to him.”
Phil had dumped the bag of peanuts into his hat, which he held out before him while talking. Two squirming trunks had been busy conveying the peanuts to the pink mouths of their owners, so that by the time Phil happened to remember what he had brought them, there was not a nut left in the hat.
He glanced up in surprise.
“Emperor, you are a greedy old elephant,” laughed Phil, patting the trunk.
Emperor trumpeted loudly, and the call was immediately taken up even more loudly by his companion.
“No, you can’t have any more,” chided Phil. “You will have indigestion from what you’ve already eaten, I’m afraid. Behave, and I’ll bring you some more tonight if I come to the show,” he laughed.
Two caressing trunks touched his hands, then traveled gently over his cheeks. They tickled, but Phil did not flinch.
“You could do most anything with them now, you see,” nodded the keeper. “They’d follow you home if I would let them.”
“Especially if my pockets were full of sweets.”