The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1908-09-11
MAIWA'S REVENGE
ALLAN QUATERMAINs GREATEST ADVENTURE.
By H. RIDER HAGGARD.
Of the soil. made spoorlng a very diff

Author of "She," "King Soomon's Mines, Etc.

OIL the SOIL, udOt SpOOlluS fcAy uihA
cult business.
The wounded bull had indeed blet
freely. but the rain had washed th'
blood off the leaves and grass, and tht
ground being so rough and hard, hat
not taken the footmarks so clearly al
was convenient.
However, we got along, though slow
~, partly by the spoor, and partly by
carefully lifting leaves and blades OF
grass, and finding blood underneath
them, for the blood gushing from 9
wounded animal often falls upon their
inner surfaces, and then, Of course, un'
less the rain is very heavy, it is not
washed away.
1t took US something over an houl
and a half to reach the edge of the
marsh, but once there our task became
much easier, for the soft soil showed
plentiful evidences of the great brutes
passage. -
Threading our way through the
swampy land, we came at last to q
ford of the river, and here we could
see where the poor wounded animal
had lain down in the mud and water
in the hope Of easing himself Of his
pain, and could see also how his two
faithful companions had assisted him
to rise again.
We crossed the ford, and took up
the spoor on the farther side, and fol-
lowed it into the marsh-like land be-
yond.
No rain had fallen on this side of the
river, and the blood marks were con-
sequently much more frequent.
All that day we followed the three
bulls, now across open plains, and now
through patches of bush.
They seemed to have Travelled on al
most without stopping, and I noticed
that as they went the wounded bull
got up his strength little.
This I could see from his spoor,
which had become firmer, and also
from the fact that the other two had
given up supporting him.
At last evening closed in, and hav-
ing travelled some eighteen miles we
camped, thoroughly tired out.
Before dawn the following day we
were up, and the first break of light
found us once more on the spoor.
About half-past o'clock we reached
the place where the elephants had fed
and slept.
The two unwounded bulls had taken
their fill, as the condition of the neigh
boring bushes showed, but the wound
ed one had eaten nothing.
He had spent the night leaning
against a good-sized tree, which his
weight had pushed out of the perpen-
dicular.
They had not long left this place, and
could not be very far ahead, especially
as the wounded bull was now again
so stiff after his nights rest that for
the first few miles the other two had
been obliged to support him.
But elephants go very quick, even
when they seem to be travelling slowly,
for shrub and creepers that almost
stop a mans progress are no hindrance
to them.
The three had now turned to the left,
and were travelling back again in a
semi-circular line toward the noun
tains, probably with the idea of work
ing around to their old feeding grounds
on the farther side of the river.
There was nothing for it but to fol-
low their lead, and accordingly we fol-
lowed with industry.
Through all that long hot day did we
tramp, passing quantities of every sort
Of game, and even coming across the
spoor of other elephants.
But, in spite Of my mems entreaties,
[ would not turn aside after these.
1 would have those mighty tusks or
none.
By evening we were quite close to
our game, probably within quarter
Of a mile, but the bush was dense, so
once more we had to camp, thoroughly
1isgusted with our luck.
That night, just after the moon got
I'D. while I was sitting smoking my
pipe with my back against tree, l
heard an elephant trumpet, as though
something had startled it, not three
hundred yards away.
l was very tired, but my curiosity
overcame my weariness, so, without
saying word TO any of my men, all of
whom were asleep, I took my eight
bore and a few spare cartridges and
steered toward the sound.
The game path which we had been
following all day ran straight on in
the direction from which the elephant
had trumpeted.
1t was narrow, but well trodden, and
the light struck down upon it in 9
straight white line.
/ crept along it cautiously for some
two hundred yards, when it suddenly
opened into most beautiful glade
hundred yards or more in width
wherein tall grass grew and Gat-toppeC
trees stood sinsly.
With the caution born Of long ex
,erience | watched for few moments
before l entered the glade, and then
saw why the elephant had trumpeted
There in the middle of the glade
stood a great named lion.
He stood quite still, making a soft
purring noise, and waving his tail te
and fro.
Presently the grass about forty yards
Oh the higher side of him gave wide
ripple, and lioness sprang out of il
like flash. and bounded noiselessly
up to the lion.
Reaching him. the great cat halted
suddenly, and rubbed her head against
his shoulder
Then they both began to purr loudly
so loudly that believe that one nigh
in the stiffness have heard them two
hundred yards or more away.
After awhile, while l was still h"si
tating what to do, either they got {
Whit of my wind, or they wearied OF
standing still, and determined to star
in search of game.
AT any rate, as though moved by
common impulse, they suddenly bound
ed away, leap by leap, and vanished II
the depths Of the forest to the left.
waited for little while longer tc
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