Soon, however, happening to look up into the tree under which my elephants stood, I thought I spied a little motion among the leaves, and looked more keenly.

Sudden white spots appeared in the dark foliage, the music died down, a gale of childish laughter rippled the air, and white spots came out in every direction: the trees were full of children! In the wildest merriment they began to descend, some dropping from bough to bough so rapidly that I could scarce believe they had not fallen.

I left my litter, and was instantly surrounded--a mark for all the artillery of their jubilant fun.

With stately composure the elephants walked away to bed.
"But," said I, when their uproarious gladness had had scope for a while, "how is it that I never before heard you sing like the birds?
Even when I thought it must be you, I could hardly believe it!" "Ah," said one of the wildest, "but we were not birds then! We were run-creatures, not fly-creatures! We had our hide-places in the bushes then; but when we came to no-bushes, only trees, we had to build nests! When we built nests, we grew birds, and when we were birds, we had to do birds! We asked them to teach us their noises, and they taught us, and now we are real birds!--Come and see my nest.

It's not big enough for king, but it's big enough for king to see me in it!" I told him I could not get up a tree without the sun to show me the way; when he came, I would try.
"Kings seldom have wings!" I added.
"King! king!" cried one, "oo knows none of us hasn't no wings--foolis feddery tings! Arms and legs is better." "That is true.