Once, twice, three times Umboo hit the tree. It shivered and shook,
and then, because the roots no longer held it up, over it went with a
crash.

"Hurray!" cried Umboo, or what meant the same thing in elephant talk.
"Now I can get the palm nuts!"

"Yes," said his mother. "You have learned something else."

With the tree lying flat on the ground, it was easy for Umboo to reach
the palm nuts with his trunk. He pulled them off and ate them, first,
though, giving his mother some. For elephants, and other animals, know
how to be kind and polite, though of course, they are not so good at
it as are you boys and girls.

As Umboo and his mother were eating the palm nuts, along came Keedah.

"Hello!" cried the other elephant boy. "How did you get the palm tree
down, Mrs. Stumptail?"

"I did it," said Umboo.

"You?" cried Keedah. "No! You are not strong enough for that!"

"No, I wasn't strong enough to knock this tree over with my head, or
pull it down with my trunk, until I loosened the dirt at the roots,"
said Umboo. "After that it was easy."

"Well, you are getting to be like us bigger boys," said Keedah. "May I