"You had better not try it, if you know what's good for you!" "Move on!Break through their line!" commanded Sully.Phil turned and waved his hand.
"They are going to try to break through, Mr.Kennedy," he called.
Kennedy uttered several quick commands.The Sully elephants swung down toward him, their trunks raised high in the air.The leader, a big tusker, uttered a shrill cry.
It was the elephants' battle cry, but Phil did not know it.Kennedy did.
For the first time, thus far, the Sparling herd of elephants began to show signs of excitement.Their trainer quieted them somewhat with soothing words here, a sharp command there, and occasionally a prod of the hook.
All at once the leading tusker of the Sully herd lunged straight at old Emperor.In another instant nearly every elephant in each herd had chosen an opponent and the battle was on in earnest.
Trumpetings, loud shrieks of rage and mighty coughs made the more timid of the people flee to places of greater safety.
As the crash of the meeting elephants came, Phil ran back to the street where his own parade was standing.
"Move on!" he shouted."Follow your route without the elephants.And you, bandmaster, keep your men playing.When you have gone by, we will give the other show a chance to go on if there's enough left of them to do so."Realizing that Phil had given them sensible advice, the Sparling show moved on with band playing and colors waving, but above the uproar could be heard the thunder of the fighting elephants.
Two of the rival show's elephants had been tumbled into a ditch by theroadside.Then Kennedy had a lively few minutes to keep his own animals from following and putting an end to the enemies they had tumbled over.
The tusks of the two big elephants, when they met, sounded like the report of a pistol.Such sledge hammer blows as these two monsters dealt each other made the spectators of the remarkable battle gasp.
All at once they saw something else that made them stare the harder.On the back of Emperor, lying prone was stretched a strange figure.
From it they saw the head of a boy emerge.Slowly the frog costume that he had worn, slipped from him and dropped to the ground.
"Teddy!" shouted Phil."He'll be killed!"
"W-o-w!" howled Teddy Tucker, who had been so frightened in the beginning that he could not get down, and now he could not if he would.
"Let go and jump off!I'll catch you!" shouted Phil."I--I can't.""Mr.Kennedy, can't you get him off?"
But the trainer had his hands more than full keeping his charges in line, for at all hazards they must not be allowed to get away from him, as in their present excited state there was no telling what harm they might do.
The Sparling people suddenly uttered a great shout.Emperor was slowly forcing his antagonist backward, the Sully elephant gradually giving ground before the mighty onslaught of old Emperor.Seeing their leader weakening, the other elephants also began retreating until the line was slowly forced back against Sully's line of march.The owner was riding up and down in a frightful rage, alternately urging his trainer to rally his elephants, and hurling threats at Phil Forrest and the organization he represented.
"Had we better not call our bulls off, Mr.Kennedy?" shouted Phil."Our parade has gone by this time.""Yes, if I can.I don't know whether I can stop them now or not." "You get the others away.I'll try to take care of Emperor and Jupiter.
Emperor will give in shortly, after he knows the other elephant is whipped.""He won't give in till he kills him," answered Kennedy."Better lookout.He's blind, crazy mad."
"I'm not afraid of him.Hang on now, Teddy.We will have you out of your difficulty in a few minutes."Teddy had been hanging on desperately, his eyes large and staring.Every time the long trunk of Sully's big tusker was raised in the air, Teddy thought it was being aimed at his head and shrank closer to Emperor's back.But the tusker probably never saw Teddy at all.He was too busy protecting himself from old Emperor's vicious thrusts.
At last the tusker began to retreat in earnest.First he would turn, running back a few rods; then he would whirl to give a moment's battle to Emperor.
Emperor was following him doggedly.
Phil decided that it was time to act.He rushed up to Emperor's head during one of these lulls and called commandingly.
Emperor, with a sweep of his trunk, hurled Phil Forrest to the side of the street.But Phil, though shaken up a bit, was not harmed in the least.
He was up and at his huge friend almost at once.
"Emperor! Emperor!" he shouted, getting nearer and nearer to the head of the enraged beast.
Finally Phil stepped up boldly and threw both arms about Emperor's trunk.
"Steady, steady, Emperor!" he commanded.
This time the elephant did not hurl Phil away.Instead, he stopped hesitatingly, evidently not certain whether he should plunge on after his enemy or obey the command of his little friend.
Phil tucked the trunk under his arm confidently.
"That's a good fellow! Come along now, and we'll have a whole bag of peanuts when we get back to the lot."The elephant coughed understandingly, it seemed.At least he turned about, though with evident reluctance, and meekly followed the Circus Boy, his trunk still tucked under the latter's arm.
The Sully elephants had been whipped and driven off, though none had been very seriously injured.Some fences had been knocked over and a number of people nearly frightened to death--but that was all.Philhad saved the day for his employer's show and had come out victorious.
The Circus Boy was in high glee as he led Emperor back toward the lot, where the parade was drawing in by the time he reached there.
Teddy, on the big elephant's head, was waving his arms excitedly.
"We licked 'em!We licked 'em!" he howled, as he caught sight of Mr.Sparling hurrying toward them.
