The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1919-12-31

them move, raise vast blankets of ears
and flap them, starting an audible gust
of wind. a great trunk wound and
unwound, rose lazily to incredible
heights, reached q limb and tore it
with scream Of rending fibers from
the parent tree. The beast turned
slightly to avoid the avalanche Of
boughS. Instantly the white mans
arms swept into motion. lie lcyelcd
the big gun at an upward slant upon
the still immOvable central cloud and
fired.
All the silence in the world was rent
asundcr by that shot. With Il rending
crash as of a thousand gatling guns,
one, two, twenty elephants swept
through the sea Of saplings and away.
1t was as though an angry god had
snatchcd up the forest like sheet and
ripped it apart. In the terrific whirl.
wind of sound gone mad, the second
bark Of the rifle was quite lost to the
ear.
M'Sungo turned and automatically
seized his supporting gun. His eyes
swept the back trail, looking for An.
drca. She was gone. "Bathtub !" he
roarcd.
The boy ran to him, his face work.
ing with every emotion known to the
black brcaSt-iOy, triumph, greed
cupidity and fear. The last was pre-.
dominant and with reason, for M'sungo
dropped his gun, shot out both hands
to the blacks throat and lifted him
strangling into the air. damn you,"
he growled, where's your missiS?
Where is she?" The boys cyebals
protrudcd farther and farther from
his contOrtcd face.
"1Iere I am" painted Andrea.
M'sungo relaxed his grip; Bathtub
dropped to the ground like n nerveless
sack but bounced up again, all his
emotions except fear once more In full
cry across his grinning face.
Andrea laid both hands on M'sungo's
arm. ut wasn't his fault" she gasped.
II started to do just what you told
me, White Man. You know you saw
me hugging the tree. But when heard
the Day of Judgment right on top Of
me II just had to give it a run for
its mOneyw
She dropped her head against him
and sobbed. He put his arm around
her and pattcd her awkwardly on the
back. "rhere! There" he said.
"Dont. Please don't" Seemingly with
out his v0ition his arms drew closer
and closer until ne suddenly awole to
the fact that he was just plainly hug
ging Andrea PcllOr.
He pushed her roughly from him.
Here" he said in quite n different
voice, "ths isn't my funeral. Come
and cry on the elephant"
"All right" said Andrea, docilely.
"HOw many were there? I heard Il
troupe-an army Of them"
"You heard just one" said Msungo.
Dabbing at her eyes with sOilcd fists,
she followed him to the side OF the
fallen monarch around which were
gathered the natives, Il sort OF glazed
awe OH their faces. for the dead bull
was mighty tuSkcr, carrying ivory to
the value of eighty women. At M'Sun-
go'S approach their arms went up in
single gesture and from one throat
they yelled, "Bai-yc-ic!"
Scarcely had the cry Of homage died
away when sound came 30 them
through the bush that froze them into
listening silence. Their faces expressed
unhcicf but their knowledge was in
siStcnt. 1t told them that they were
hearing death struggle, the whisper
ing gush Of blood from mighty lungs,
nightly pierced. With Il yell they
broke toward that music and suddenly
stopped, remembering that it is al
ways wise with elephant to let the gun
go first.
Andrea frightened, stopped snivel-
ing. "What is it?" she asked.
II got two" said M'sungo apollo
getically. "That's the one that kept
me waiting between heaven and hell"
II remember. 1t was awful. But
why did you wait? What did he have
to do with 1t, poor dear?"
Msungo smiled in spite OF himself
ale had great deal to do with IT," he
answered. until he started tearing
the tree to pieces and took half turn
to dodge the damage, he was headed
right down our trail, wasn't hep
Andrea nodded.
"Wcll,' continued Msungo, kicking
the mountain Of flesh at his side, "just
as long as he was facing us, I couldn't
take the fair mark OF this old boy.
That's one of the bits OF knowledge
that has been paid for with tho lives
of many men. i startled elephant
doesn't charge; lc bolts whichever
way he's headed"
He looked up and added with par
dOnablc pride: "And that, too, is how