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 208 which the Sparrows had their nest, tore it off, breaking all the eggs and nearly killing the father and mother birds. The mother Sparrow, mourning for her eggs, poured forth her lamentations, and refused to be comforted. Her friend the Woodpecker heard her sorrowful complaint, and pitying her, came to see what she could do to help her.

"If you are really my friend," said the Sparrow, "and wish to console me, you will help me to find some way to destroy this wicked Elephant, who has robbed me of my little ones."

"I have a friend," said the Woodpecker, "a fly named Bumble-Bumble. Let us go and ask him what we can do to destroy this wicked, cruel Elephant." So the Woodpecker and the Sparrow went to find the Fly. When they found him, the Woodpecker said:

"Dear Bumble-Bumble, my friend the Sparrow has been cruelly wronged by a wicked Elephant, who has destroyed her nest, and broken all her eggs. I want you to tell us how we shall kill this Elephant."

"I have a friend," said the Fly, "a Frog called Thunder-Throat. We will ask him to advise us what to do."

So they all three went to find Thunder-Throat, and told him the whole story.

"Not even an Elephant," said Thunder-Throat, "can protect himself against a number of justly angry enemies, if they act together. I have a plan which we must follow carefully. You, Bumble-Bumble, must go at mid-day and buzz so softly in the Elephant's ear that it will sound to him like the sweetest music, and he will close his eyes with pleasure. Then the Woodpecker must peck out the Elephant's eyes. When he is blind, and tormented with thirst, he will hear me and my brothers croaking loudly on the edge of a precipice. Thinking that