It was drawing near to midnight. The market-place was wrapped in darkness and silence. The Tamby family children inside the van were dreaming pleasantly of fresh successes, while close by Nalla and Steady dozed comfortably after the labors of the day, and the excitement of the evening.

The gendarme, whose duty it was to patrol the market-place, and who had been one of the most appreciative spectators of the performance, after making a few turns of the square, and assuring himself that things were all right, sat down upon some hay in a corner, and before he knew what he was about fell fast asleep.

A few minutes later two dark forms glided stealthily out from an alley, and crept towards the Tambys' van. That their presence meant no good, the method of their approach clearly indicated, but who were they, and upon what mischief were they bent?

To answer this question it must be explained that in the town was an academy which had many pupils, and of these a number had attended the performance. On their return to the academy they got into a lively discussion about the animals, and Nalla, of course, was the chief subject.

One of the elder boys, who really was well informed for his age, and liked to make a show of his learning, asserted that in spite of their size elephants were great cowards, and were terrified at the sight of a mouse.

The other boys laughed at this statement.

"A great big elephant afraid of a tiny mouse!" they cried. "Fudge! you don't know what you're talking about!"

This angered Raoul, and the controversy waxed warm until finally, carried away by excitement, he shouted:

"Look here now, fellows, I do know what I'm talking about, and if any of you will get me a mouse I'll prove it."

A chorus of derisive laughter greeted this challenge, which angered Raoul still more, and he fairly screamed out:

"Get me a mouse, and I'll show you that I'm right!"

"A mouse! a mouse! who knows where to get a mouse?" called out one of the senior boys, looking around as though he expected some one to produce the tiny animal from his pocket.

"I do," responded a little fellow with a sharp thin face that gave him somewhat the appearance of a mouse himself. "I have three of them in a box. I keep them as pets."

At this announcement there was a shout of satisfaction, and the youngster was bidden to bring out his curious pets.

He ran off, and presently returned with a little pasteboard box in which some live thing could be heard moving.

"Bravo!" cried the others with the exception of Raoul, who looked decidedly disconcerted. "Now we are all right. We have the mouse, and Raoul will show us how he can frighten the big elephant."

To judge by Raoul's expression he would greatly prefer going off quietly to bed, but he was in for it now, and must at least make an effort to carry the thing through.

So, summoning his resolution, he assumed a jaunty air, and said, gayly:

"Come along then. We'll see if I'm not right." And he led the way followed by as many boys as dared risk the consequences of being away from the school at night without leave.

They slipped out of the building silently, and directed their steps to the market-place. Here, Raoul, who was of course in command, ordered all but one to remain hidden in an empty stall, while he and his chum went over to the van.

They moved as noiselessly as shadows, and when they reached there, the Tamby children and the animals were wrapped in profound slumber. Not even Vigilant scented their approach.

Trembling all over with nervousness, their hearts beating like trip-hammers, and their mouths parched as with great thirst, the two boys crept near to Nalla, who stood beside the van as motionless as if carved out of stone.

With shaking fingers they opened the little box, and, seizing its tiny occupant, threw it at the sleeping monster.

The mouse struck Nalla full upon the trunk, and then dropped at his feet, stunned by the cruel blow.

In an instant the great creature was awake, and the tip of his trunk touched the furry morsel on the ground, which squeaked and struggled piteously.

The effect upon the elephant was appalling. A violent convulsion shook his mighty frame. He broke forth into terrible trumpetings, and, snapping his tether as though it had been only a thread, he dashed off at full speed into the darkness, flying panic-stricken from what had terrified him.

Immediately wild confusion succeeded the quiet which had reigned. Vigilant set up a frantic barking, and Steady joined in with an anxious whinnying. The Tambys started from their sleep, and rushed out of the van in their nightdresses screaming with fright; the gendarme, aroused from his pleasant dozing in the hay, sought to cover his lapse of duty by rattling his sword, and shouting fiercely:

"What is the matter? What means all this row? I demand to know at once."

But there was at first no one to answer him. The mischievous boys and Nalla had disappeared, and they alone knew what had taken place.

Presently Nadine recovered her wits, and at once realized the situation.

"Nalla has been frightened," she cried, "and has run off. Oh! how shall we get him back?"

"Why, he'll come back himself when he gets over his scare," responded CÆsar, doing his best to be cheerful. "If not, we'll find him in the morning all right."

But Nadine was not to be easily comforted. Nalla's frantic trumpeting had filled her heart with terror, and this combined with the sudden awakening from sleep, had completely unnerved her. She burst into tears, and wrung her hands as she sobbed out:

"Poor Nalla! what will happen to him? He'll be sure to get hurt. Oh! Isn't it dreadful!"

Her distress certainly had good grounds. A huge creature, mad with terror, charging wildly through the streets of the town, and perhaps out into the country, could hardly fail to do injury to himself if not to others.

By the time the matter was made clear to the dull-witted though well-intentioned gendarme, a number of the soldiers had come over from their side of the market-place to offer their services if they could be of any use.

An excited consultation followed in which several voices were always trying to make themselves heard simultaneously, and there did not seem much hope of any practical issue until one of the officers put in an appearance, and he at once assumed the direction of affairs.

He questioned the tearful Nadine and the troubled CÆsar about Nalla and his habits, and on learning how kind and faithful a creature he was, he strove to reassure them.

"Make your minds easy," he said in a tone of superior knowledge. "Nothing dreadful will happen. The elephant will run until he is tired, and then he will find some nice fresh herbage, and he will stop to feed upon it. It would be no use trying to find him to-night, but immediately after reveille in the morning I will put at your services a detail of soldiers, and they will go out to look for your elephant."

Nadine and CÆsar thanked him warmly. He was quite right after all. It would be useless searching for Nalla in the darkness. They must wait for daylight, and so they bade everybody "Good-night" and went back into their van to wait for the morning.

The two younger children soon fell asleep again, but not so did Nadine and CÆsar. They spent the long hours whispering to each other conjectures as to what could possibly have so frightened Nalla, and exchanging hopes of how soon he would be found again.

At dawn they were ready and watching impatiently for the soldiers. The officer proved even better than his promise, for having reported the affair to Colonel Laurier, the latter had in the goodness of his heart, ordered out fifty soldiers with the command that they were to continue the search until the elephant had been found and returned to its owners.

At the suggestion of the officer, who was a particularly quick-witted young man, four parties were formed and one of the children accompanied each, the shrewd idea being that whichever party located Nalla there would be with it one that the great creature loved and trusted, and whose orders he would obey.

The plan of campaign having been thus skillfully arranged, the four parties set off upon their quest, going north, south, east, and west from the market-place.

All this kindness was not without its cheering influence upon the Tambys, who quite recovered their spirits, and high with hope of nothing serious having happened to their breadwinner, bade each other good-luck as the parties separated.

It not being possible even for a story-writer to be in four places at the same time, only Nadine's party will be followed.

They steered due north, making inquiries of every one they met upon the route. At first the answers returned gave them no encouragement that they were in the right direction. But after they had cleared the town and got into the outskirts, they began to hear of some strange enormous thing that had been caught sight of as it sped along the road. Those who first glimpsed it had not fully believed their senses, and supposed themselves to be the object of some delusion. Farther on, however, their informants had had more light to see by, and were able to give a better account, until presently they received so accurate a description of the marvel that they knew they were hot upon the scent.

"We shall come up with him soon now," said the officer confidently to Nadine. "He wouldn't run far after he got tired, and he'd be sure to look out for something to eat."

They kept on at good speed, plying every one with questions, and getting such full replies as to the startling size and aspect of the creature that they expected to have his huge gray shape loom into sight at any moment.

Finally they came to a prosperous farm among the outbuildings of which something very exciting was evidently transpiring, as the folks were hurrying thither breathlessly.

"Nalla's there!" cried Nadine, clutching the officer's arm in her anxiety. "I hope they're not hurting him. Oh! come, let us be quick and get to him."

"Hurting him!" laughed the officer. "Not much fear of that! He can take care of himself. I'm more concerned about his hurting some of them. Come along!" and catching the girl's hand he broke into a run.