“Oh, yes, so I did. Well, it was Mappo, the monkey, who told me. It seems, that, once upon a time, Tum Tum was in the jungle looking for something to eat. He was very hungry, and he was looking for what they call apples in this country though we call them something else in Africa, where the jungle is. Tum Tum was in our jungle once, you know.”
“Yes,” said Sharp Eyes, “I remember. He told me when I met him near the circus grounds.”
“Well, Tum Tum went all over our jungle looking for an apple, but he could not find any. Finally, however, he saw a little monkey pick something that looked like an apple from a tree.
“‘Here, give me that!’ cried Tum Tum. ‘I haven’t had an apple in ever so long. Give me that apple, little monkey, and I’ll give you a ride on my back.’
“‘All right,’ said the monkey. ‘But give me the ride first.’ So Tum Tum gave the monkey a ride all over the jungle, and then he asked for the apple.
“‘Here it is!’ cried the monkey, and he handed something to Tum Tum. Our elephant friend quickly took it in his trunk, and, not stopping to look at it, popped it into his mouth and gave it a big, hard bite. But what do you s’pose it was?” asked Chunky, as he told Sharp Eyes the story.
“I can’t guess,” said the fox.
“It was a hard cocoanut!” laughed the hippo. “And Tum Tum nearly broke his teeth on it. After that he always looked at what he ate before putting it in his mouth.”
“That was a funny story,” said Sharp Eyes. Then he and the hippo talked for a long time, and the fox watched the big animal go into his tank and sink away down under the water.