"You want as much petting as a baby." Derrick dealt out the soup, waited for a minute or two to see the children start on it, then went down below to feed the elephants.

One of the huge beasts was troublesome, and as Derrick came up the man who was the cause of it gave the animal a jab on the trunk with a hay-fork.
Derrick had already warned the fellow, one of the men-swine of whom Isabel had spoken; consequently Derrick wasted no further words, but dropped the truss of hay and gave the man a blow which sent him sprawling.

He got up, seized the hay-fork, and with murder in his eyes lunged at Derrick; but Derrick, too quick for him, struck up the fork, snatched it from the man's grasp, and hit him on the head with it.
"Get out of my sight," said Derrick, without raising his voice.

"Let me see you, or let me hear you, ill-treating one of the animals again, and I'll lay you up for the rest of the voyage.

You may take that as a promise, and I've a knack of keeping my promises." The man swore vilely, but suddenly stopped and slunk away, wiping the blood from his face, and Mr.Bloxford's voice, from behind Derrick, demanded shrilly: "Who appointed you general chucker-out of the establishment ?" "I've no direct appointment," said Derrick, coolly, patting the elephant's soft trunk, which was wandering caressingly and gratefully over his body.