Somehow the elephant knows what is about to hit him, and is looking to neutralize the threat.
So yes, here we are… Suffering through another extended aspect of an artificially elongated plotline… I will say it here… Serial comic strips don’t have to resemble movie storyboards that capture scene and action in 2 second intervals… Maybe if we were looking at a comic book where we could get to the inflection points more quickly, and linger over the passages we choose, then that would help lessen the tedium. But for me and the handful of faithful that look to the daily strips for constant intrigue, that’s probably an unrealistic expectation.
Have a good weekend everyone!
The Daily Trail 
Actually, I think Allen’s philosophic thought process is the reverse: This is a “naturalist adventure strip”, after all!
The elephant is not looking to smash anybody or prevent getting captured. In fact, the elephant clearly WANTS Mark to tranquilize him. That is why the elephant sought out the Game Warden’s campsite, as opposed to simply running with reckless abandon through the greater Lost Forest.
Thus, Jumbo took pains to not only avoid trampling Mark out in the open, but helped maneuver Mark towards to the tent. Then Jumbo pulled the tent OFF of Mark—instead of running over it—so Trail would have a clear site-line. Of course, elephants don’t have fully-developed powers of reason, such as standing still and waiting for the circus crew. But, Jumbo’s doing the best he can under the circumstances. Or Allen is, at least.
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I am just glad to finally see some ropes on an old-school canvas tent.
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Just curious, when did Mark have time to put on a glove?
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