The animals marched in a long line to the wooden bridge they had to cross to get out of the zoo. Mr. Elephant was the first one on the bridge. He was so heavy the bridge broke down. Crash! Bang! Mr. Elephant fell into the water. The lion, the camel and the bear tumbled into the water after him.

The two hippopotamuses saw what had happened. They quickly waded into the water, one behind the other. They stood crosswise in the stream and made a good solid bridge for all the other animals to cross over.