"Look here, Nadine," said he, "old Nalla hasn't had a good bath for a long time, and I'm sure it would do him good. Suppose we take him down to the pool I've been bathing in, and let him have a dip in it. I'm sure he'd enjoy it immensely, and it would be good for him, too."
"I believe you're right, Cæsar," replied Nadine. "We will take him down there after dinner, and then he'll be in fine trim for the performance this evening."
Accordingly, right after dinner the whole family, accompanied by Vigilant, left Steady to his browsing, and went off down stream escorting Nalla, who trumpeted cheerfully in evident expectation of some sort of a treat.
When they reached the pool Cæsar, pointing to it, said:
"There, Nalla, is a splendid place for you to have a bath, such as you haven't had for a long time. In you go, old fellow, and enjoy yourself."
The elephant needed no urging. The day was hot, the flies troublesome, the water cool and inviting. With a blast of delight through his trunk, and a flapping of his great ears, he strode into the pool, and did not stop until the water had almost reached the top of his back. Then he gave himself up to the enjoyment of his bath with the most amusing abandon. He wallowed in the cool clear water without heed to the stirring up of the mud. He sank down in it, leaving only the tip of his trunk above the surface. He filled his trunk with the water, and blew it out again, sending the muddy spray to a considerable distance—in fact, no schoolboy in a "swimming-hole" on a broiling midsummer day could have enjoyed himself more thoroughly.
The Tambys, seated in the shade on the bank, watched his antics with lively appreciation. Nothing was too good for Nalla in their opinion. They had no better friend than the faithful, docile elephant, and they loved him as deeply as an animal could be loved.
The time slipped by, and Nalla showed no signs of growing weary of his fun. He would come out into the shallower part of the pool at intervals and squirt the muddy water over his back and sides, and then he would plunge in again, going almost out of sight.
Presently Cæsar considered that he had enough of it, and that he ought to come out in order to be made ready for the parade through the village street, which would precede the performance. So he went to the edge of the pool, and said: