Singh uttered an exclamation aloud in Hindustani, and in an instant there was a shrill snort and a repetition of the clinking of the great chain, as the huge beast shuffled slowly across till it stood close up to the hedge which divided the garden from the playground; and there, muttering softly as if to itself, it began to sway its head from side to side, lifting up first one pillar-like leg and foot and then the other, to plant them back again in the same spot from which they had been raised.
“Well, this is a pretty game,” continued Glyn. “Here, you had better say something to him, or shall I?”
“What shall I say?” answered Singh.
“Tell him to kneel down, or lie down and go to sleep before he comes through that hedge and begins walking all over the Doctor’s flower-beds.”
Seeing the necessity for immediate action, Singh uttered a sharp, short order, and the elephant knelt at once.
“Ah, that’s better,” cried Glyn.
“What shall I do now?” asked Singh, rather excitedly.
“Do? Why, you had better dress as quickly as you can, and go down to him.”
“But it’s so early,” said Singh. “I haven’t finished my sleep.”
“And you won’t either; and you had better look sharp before he rams that great head of his against the door and comes upstairs to fetch you.”