Toomai of the Elephants by Rudyard Kipling. Short summary

5 seconds

Little Tumai had been friends with the old elephant Kala Nag (the Black Snake) since he was a baby. One day the elephant got worried, tore the rope and headed into the forest. The boy asked his friend to take him with him and saw an amazing elephant dance.

1 minute

Ten-year-old boy Little Tumai, son of Big Tumai’s herdsman, wants to be a real wild elephant hunter. The old elephant Kala Nag, ruled by his father, was considered the most experienced herdsman. Little Tumai had been friends with Kala Nag since childhood.

The boy was brave; once he was not afraid to enter a corral with wild elephants, saving one of the herders. Tumai was noticed by Petersen sahib, a famous elephant hunter. Flattered by his praise, the boy declared that he would surely become the most famous hunter. Petersen sahib laughed at the little boy, and said that in order to do so, he had to see an elephant dance, which only a few people had seen.

One night the old elephant Kala Nag broke the rope and headed into the forest. Little Tumai asked him to take him with him. In the jungle, the boy was present for an incredible sight — an elephant dance. In the morning he told his elders about it. They went into the forest and were convinced of the truth of Tumai’s words. That day the boy got a new name — Elephant Tumai.