When it was very warm, he would wade out into the water and take a bath, and often he would take a deep drink of water and then let it out upon the children like a shower bath.
The children loved to romp and play with the White Elephant, and he loved to play with them.
One day the Rajah of the country came down the river and when he saw the White Elephant working for the Woodcutters, he ordered his men to stop while he watched the Elephant. Then the Rajah said:
“I wish to own that Elephant, for I want to ride upon him, myself. He looks so very kind and gentle, and he is very beautiful.”
So the Woodcutters had to sell their friend the White Elephant to the Rajah. He paid them a very large price, and then the servants of the Rajah led the Elephant away.
[Illustration: So the old Elephant took the White Elephant to the Woodcutters.]
[Illustration: So the old Elephant took the White Elephant to the Woodcutters.]
But, as he left the forest, he gave one last look at his playmates, the children, as though he was sorry to say goodbye to them.
The Rajah was so very proud of his beautiful White Elephant he had made for him a robe of crimson velvet embroidered in gold. On his back, the White Elephant carried a throne of gold covered by a gorgeous canopy of cloth of gold.
When the Rajah rode out in great processions he always went upon the back of the beautiful White Elephant. All the days of his life the Rajah cared for the White Elephant, and always the White Elephant served his master, the Rajah, gladly and proudly.
[Illustration: Elephant heads and flowers.]
Once upon a time a farmer’s wife was cutting corn in a field when a crow came flying down, swooped off with a bit of the grain and carried it up to a tree to eat it.
The farmer’s wife was very angry and scolded loudly:
“You robber, you, to steal my corn!” Picking up a clod of earth, she threw it at the bird with such good aim that the crow fell to the ground, dropping the grain of corn which rolled into a crack in the tree.
The farmer’s wife ran up to the crow and, seizing him by the tail, she cried; “You, robber, you! give me back my grain of corn, or I will kill you.”
“Caw, caw, caw!” cried the crow. “If you will set me free, I promise to get it for you.”