Then at last: “Stasch! Stasch! He is getting up! Oh!”
Stasch approached quickly and took Nell by the hand. In truth, the elephant had really gotten up, and only now could the children see his enormous size. They had occasionally seen large elephants being taken in ships through the Suez Canal on their way from India to Europe, but not one of them could compare with this colossus in size, for he really looked like a large slate-colored, four-footed rock. He differed from those they had seen in having enormous tusks five feet or more long, and, as Nell had already said, fabulously large ears. His front legs were very long, but comparatively thin, which was probably due to his having fasted so many days.
“Oh, what a Liliputian!” cried Stasch; “if he were to take a good stretch and throw out his trunk to its full length he could catch hold of your little foot.”
But the giant neither thought of stretching himself nor of catching any one by the foot. With uncertain steps he advanced toward the entrance to the gorge and looked for a while down into the ravine, at the bottom of which the waters whirled; then he turned toward the side nearest the waterfall, sat down on his stomach, put out his trunk into the water, dipped it down deep, and began to drink.
“It was lucky for him,” said Stasch, “that he could reach down into the water with his trunk. Otherwise he would have died.”
The elephant drank so long that the girl became alarmed.
“Stasch, will he not harm himself?” said she.
“I don’t know,” he answered smilingly; “but as you have taken him under your special care you should warn him now.”
And so Nell bent over the side and called:
“Enough, dear elephant, enough!”