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them as for those other animals, but it was short, and with their one−fingered long noses, they could not pick
enough for a single meal. We had, therefore, set the whole colony to gather grass and make hay, of which the
elephants themselves could carry a quantity sufficient to last them several days, with the supplement of what
we would gather fresh every time we halted. For the bears we stored nuts, and for ourselves dried plenty of
fruits. We had caught and tamed several more of the big horses, and now having loaded them and the
elephants with these provisions, we were prepared to set out.
Then Lona and I held a general review, and I made them a little speech. I began by telling them that I had
learned a good deal about them, and knew now where they came from. "We did not come from anywhere,"
they cried, interrupting me; "we are here!"
I told them that every one of them had a mother of his own, like the mother of the last baby; that I believed
they had all been brought from Bulika when they were so small that they could not now remember it; that the
wicked princess there was so afraid of babies, and so determined to destroy them, that their mothers had to
carry them away and leave them where she could not find them; and that now we were going to Bulika, to
find their mothers, and deliver them from the bad giantess.
"But I must tell you," I continued, "that there is danger before us, for, as you know, we may have to fight
hard to take the city."
"We can fight! we are ready!" cried the boys.
"Yes, you can," I returned, "and I know you will: mothers are worth fighting for! Only mind, you must all
keep together."
"Yes, yes; we'll take care of each other," they answered. "Nobody shall touch one of us but his own mother!"
"You must mind, every one, to do immediately what your officers tell you!"
"We will, we will!−−Now we're quite ready! Let us go!"
"Another thing you must not forget," I went on: "when you strike, be sure you make it a downright swinging
blow; when you shoot an arrow, draw it to the head; when you sling a stone, sling it strong and straight."
"That we will!" they cried with jubilant, fearless shout.
"Perhaps you will be hurt!"
"We don't mind that!−−Do we, boys?"
"Not a bit!"
"Some of you may very possibly be killed!" I said.
"I don't mind being killed!" cried one of the finest of the smaller boys: he rode a beautiful little bull, which
galloped and jumped like a horse.
"I don't either! I don't either!" came from all sides.
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Then Lona, queen and mother and sister of them all, spoke from her big horse by my side:
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