Part 21 (1/2)

”An' no more growlin'?” asked Jumbo, with much simplicity of countenance.

”Not a growl, nor nothin' else,” answered Disco.

”Well, get your guns ready, lads,” said Harold, ”and stand by to fire while we go and search the bush.”

So saying, Harold and Disco advanced together with their rifles ready, while the natives, who were more or less alarmed, according to their respective degrees of courage, scattered in a semicircle well in rear.

Kambira, armed with a spear, kept close to Harold, and Jumbo, with unwonted bravery, walked alongside of Disco. Antonio, quietly retiring, took refuge in a tree.

”Yoo's _sure_ you hit um?” inquired Jumbo in a whisper.

”Can't say I'm _sure_,” replied Disco, ”but we'll soon see.”

”Was um's growl very bad?” asked Jumbo.

”Hold yer long tongue!” said Disco testily, for he was becoming excited.

”Look! see dere!” exclaimed Jumbo in an energetic whisper.

”What? where?”

”Look! right troo de bush. Dis way. Dar, don' you zee um's skin,-- t'other side? Fire!”

”Why, eh!” exclaimed Disco, peering keenly through the leaves, ”yellow hair! yes--its--”

Stopping abruptly he pointed his gun at the bush and poured the contents of both barrels into it. Then, clubbing his weapon and brandis.h.i.+ng it in the air, he uttered a wild cry--went cras.h.i.+ng through the bush, and next moment stood aghast before the yellow monkey, whose little carcase he had almost blown to atoms.

We won't chronicle the roars of laughter, the yells of delight that followed,--the immense amount of chaffing, the innumerable witticisms and criticisms that ensued--no, no! regard for the gallant seaman constrains us to draw a veil over the scene and leave it, as we have left many things before, and shall leave many things yet to come, to the reader's vivid imagination.

Fortunately for Disco, the superior attractions of the dead elephant soon drew off attention from this exploit. The natives proceeded to cut up the huge ma.s.s of meat, and this was indeed an amazing spectacle. At first the men stood round the carcase in dead silence, while Kambira delivered a species of oration, in which he pointed out minutely the particular parts of the animal which were to be apportioned to the head-men of the different fires of which the camp was composed,--the left hind-leg and the parts around the eyes being allotted to his English visitors. These points settled, the order was given to ”cut up,” and immediately the excitement which had been restrained burst forth again with tenfold violence. The natives seemed to be quite unable to restrain their feelings of delight, as they cut away at the carcase with spears and knives. They screamed as well as danced with glee. Some attacked the head, others the flanks, jumping over the animal or standing on it the better to expedite their operations; some ever and anon ran off screaming with ma.s.ses of b.l.o.o.d.y meat, threw it on the gra.s.s and went back for more, while others, after cutting the carcase open, jumped inside and wallowed about in their eagerness to reach and cut out the precious fat--all talking and shouting at the utmost pitch of their voices.

”Well, now,” said Disco to Harold, with a grin of amus.e.m.e.nt, ”the likes o' that I never did see nowheres. Cuttin' up a Greenland whale is nothin' to it.”

”Come, come,” said Harold, checking his laughter and seizing an excited negro by the shoulder, ”no fighting allowed.”

This had reference to two who chanced to have taken a fancy for the same ma.s.s of meat, and were quarrelling so violently over it that blows seemed on the point of following, but having let off part of their superabundant energy in words, they rushed back to expend the remainder on their dead friend.

Suddenly a sharp agonised yell was heard inside the carcase. Next moment Zombo jumped out all b.l.o.o.d.y and furious, holding up his right hand. While groping about inside, one of his too eager comrades outside had laid about rather incautiously with his knife, drove it through the meat and sliced Zombo's left hand. He was easily soothed, however; Harold bound up the cut with a piece of rag, and Zombo went to work as recklessly as ever.

In a marvellously short time tons of meat were cut up and divided amongst the band, and, before daylight had quite disappeared, the hunters were on their way back to camp, while a troop of hyenas and other carnivora were gorging themselves with the elephant's remains.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE ENCAMPMENT AND THE SUPPER--DISCUSSIONS, POLITICAL AND OTHERWISE-- KAMBIRA RECEIVES A SHOCK, AND OUR WANDERERS ARE THROWN INTO PERPLEXITY.

Turn we now to a more peaceful scene. The camp is almost quiet, the stars are twinkling brightly overhead, the fires are glimmering fitfully below. The natives, having taken the edge off their appet.i.tes, have stretched their dusky forms on their sleeping-mats, and laid their woolly heads on their little wooden pillows. The only persons moving are Harold Seadrift and Disco Lillihammer--the first being busy making notes in a small book, the second being equally busy in manufacturing cloudlets from his unfailing pipe, gazing the while with much interest at his note-making companion.

”They was pretty vigorous w'en they wos at it, sir,” said Disco, in reference to supper, observing that his companion looked up from his book, ”but they wos sooner done than I had expected.”

”Yes, they weren't long about it,” replied Harold, with an abstracted air, as he resumed his writing.