"Well, what are we going to do?" asked the head circus man. "We cannot stay here all day."
"Suppose you let my elephant, Tum Tum, try to pull the wagon out of the mud," said Tum Tum's keeper. "My elephant is very strong."
"Ha! But is he as strong as two elephants?" asked the head circus man.
"I think so," said the keeper. "Let us try. But Tum Tum can push better than he can pull, so I shall put him in back of the wagon, and let him push it out of the mud with his head. Let some of the men steer the wagon in front, when Tum Tum pushes from behind."
"Very well, we shall try," said the head circus man.
The ten horses who pulled the hippopotamus wagon had been unhitched when the two elephants tried to pull it. Now the two elephants were led to one side, and Tum Tum came up.
"Ha! He thinks he can push that wagon out of the mud, when we two could not pull it," said one elephant to the other.
"Yes, he is very proud," spoke the other.
Tum Tum heard them.
"No, I am not proud," said Tum Tum, "and I am not sure that I can push the wagon out of the mud, but I am going to try."