"It should work."
"Yes," said Chiun. "It is a good plan."
"All we have to do is find the elephant house."
"Hold it right there," a hard voice warned. Suddenly they were transfixed in the glow of a flashlight. A uniformed man advanced on them, flashlight in one hand and a revolver in the other. He was a silhouette in the darkness, but beyond the flashlight's glare Remo made out the outline of his peaked cap and gunbelt.
"Oh-oh," Remo whispered. "A guard."
"Don't move a muscle," the guard said, coming to a stop. He was very careful not to get closer.
"You're both under arrest," he said, looking them over.
"Arrest! For what?" Remo demanded.
"Elephant poaching."
"Elephant . . ." Remo sputtered. "Now, wait a minute. We're not-"
Chiun kicked Remo in the ankle.
"Oh, please, Mr. Policeman," the Master of Sinanju said in a pitiful voice. "Please do not shoot us."
"I won't if you don't make any funny moves."
"Not us," Remo said, wishing he could reach down and massage his aching ankle.
"We are very sorry for this intrusion," Chiun went on, his voice quavering. "If you will show mercy, we will attempt to atone for our terrible crime."
"That'll be up to a judge."
"But there is no judge to be seen," Chiun pointed out, "and we are alone in the dark, just the three of us. And this elephant." Chiun tugged on Rambo's ear. His trunk shot up and he let out a cry of anguish.
The guard recoiled, his flashlight searching out the beast. "Hey, it's going crazy!"
"No, Chiun said. "It is merely annoyed. But do not worry, I know elephants very well. I can control him."
"Just keep him calm, okay?"
"Oh, I can do more than keep him calm. I can return him to his rightful place."
"No way, Little Father," Remo snapped. "We're not taking him all the way back to Fol- Ouch!"
"Back where?" the guard asked,.
"Foley's Circus," Chiun put in, eyeing Remo."We are with Foley's Circus. Our own elephant died and we needed a new one quickly. But now that we have been caught stealing yours, we have no choice but to abandon our foolish enterprise."
"That's smart. Stealing an elephant is no small matter."
"We see that now. But if you will agree to let us go, we will be happy to restore this beast to his fellows-who are no doubt already lonesome for him."
"I can't make any promises, but if you put him back, I'll ask that they go easy on you."
"But we didn't-Yeow!" Remo howled, grabbing his ankle.
"What this clown is trying to say is that we meant no harm," Chiun said. "We will be only too happy to restore this beast and throw ourselves upon your infinite mercy."
The guard swallowed uncomfortably. Rambo towered over him.
"Okay, it's a deal. Just put him back."
"Of course," said Chiun, bowing. "You lead."
"Clown?" whispered Remo as Chiun led Rambo between the darkened cages.
"We are with the circus, remember?" Chiun shot back.
"If I'm supposed to be a clown, what are you?"
"The ringmaster, of course."
"Why do you always have to be top dog?"
"Because you are bottom dog," Chiun said. "If I had left it up to you, we would still be stuck with this smelly beast."
"What's that you're saying back there?" the guard asked suspiciously.
"I was saying to my top clown that we are fortunate to have encountered such a wise man as yourself," Chiun said loudly.
Rambo trumpted as if in agreement.
"Here it is," the guard said, stopping at an enormous cage. Keys rattled. "We really should have a trainer here, but I can't take the chance that thing will run amok."
"Oh, he will be good, I promise," said Chiun. When the gate opened, he led Rambo into the cage. At the other end, three large elephants stood unmoving. Their ears flapped sleepily. They did not react to the new visitor.
"Good-bye, Rambo," Chiun said, patting the elephant on the head.
The Master of Sinanju exited the cage without a backward glance. When he was out, the guard hurriedly slammed the gate and locked it. It took him only a few seconds, but when he turned around to deal with the two elephant poachers, they were nowhere in view.
Back at the truck, Remo got behind the wheel, smiling. "That was pretty smart, Little Father," he said.
"Thank you," said Chiun, closing the passenger door.
"Uh-oh," Remo groaned, looking at the missing steering wheel. "I forgot about this."
"Do your best. He will be searching for us and this vehicle is rented to Folcroft."