And so, a little later, the boat was tied up near the shore of the river, and Toto, looking out from his cage, could see a number of big, white objects. At first he thought they were white clouds that had come down to earth, as happens in a fog. But when he looked again he knew they were not clouds.
“There are the circus tents!” cried the boy.
And a little later Toto saw the boy and his father and mother leave the boat, going on shore.
But while he was lying stretched out in his cage on the deck of the houseboat, being all alone, now that the man and lady and boy had gone to the circus, Toto heard voices talking, and he heard the tramp of heavy feet.
“Here is a good place to water the elephants,” said a man. “Come on, Tum Tum, take a drink and go in and take a bath if you want to. There is plenty of water. But don’t splash any on this houseboat. The people who own it might not like it.”
Toto looked from his cage. He saw, entering the water, a number of big animals, many hundred times as large as the largest beaver. And the animals seemed to have two tails, one in front and one behind. But the one in front was larger and could be curled and twisted in a very strange way.
“Take a drink, Tum Tum!” called one of the men with the big animals.
Then Toto saw one of the big beasts stick his front tail down into the river, suck up a lot of water and squirt it over his back.
“Is your name Tum Tum?” asked Toto of the big beast who was nearest the houseboat.