The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1920-03-19
CHAPTER vii-contInued.


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She cropped her head against him
and sobbed. He put his arm around
her and patted her awkwardly on the
pack. "ThereI There!" he said.
Don't. Please don't" Seemingly with
out his volitlon his arms drew closer
and closer until he suddenly awoke to
the fact that he was just plainly hug
ging Andrea Pellor.
He pushed her roughly from him.
"Here." he said In quite different
voice, "this isn't my funeral. Come
and cry on the elephant"
IAN right" said Andrea. docilely.
"How many were there7 ] heard q
troupe-an army of them"
you heard just one" said Msungo.
Dabbing at her eyes with soiled fists,
she followed him 20 the side Of the
fallen monarch around which were
gathered the natives, a sort Of glazed
awe on their faces. for the dead bull
was mighty tusker, carrying ivory to
the value of eighty women. At M'sun-
COS approach their arms went up in a
single gesture and from one throat
they yelled, "Bai-ye-tel"
Scarcely had the cry Of homage died
away when sound came to them
through the bush that froze them into
listening silence. Their faces expressed
unbelief but their knowledge was in
sistent. 1t told them that they were
hearing death struggle, the whisper
In, nf oh xy Inn
nightly pierced. With yell they
broke toward that music and suddenly
stopped, remembering that II is al
ways wise with elephant to let the gun
60 first.
Andrea. frightened, stopped snivel-
Ing. "What Is it?" she asked.
II got two" said Msungo 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
"He lad a 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 he?"
Andrea nodded.
SWELL" continued M'stngo kicking
the mountain Of flesh Mt his side, "just
as long as he was facing us, couldn't
take the fair mark of this old boy.
That's one of the bits Of knowledge
that has been paid for with the lives
of many tnen. A startled elephant
doesn't charge; he bolts whichever
way he's headed"
He looked up and added with par
donable pride: "And that, too, is how
knew where to get him running-the
: ether way. made up my mind where
y to shoot before he was there"
They went to survey the second
beast. He was cnite dead; one long
tusk cleaning white, an ivory island
in lake Of bright blood. "Come
away" said Msungo quickly. He led
her to the shade of one Of the big
trees where Marguerite, newly arrived.
was already browsing and dreaming
happily Of all the evil in the world.
Around the nearby elephant, the ma
tives swarmed like maggots.
."Bathtub!" shouted M'sungo. "Cho-
cular'
Bathtub turned lingeringly from the
carcass, rushed over, dropped the
lunch box at M'sungo's feet and
plunged back again. "Wc'll have to
forgive him." said Msungo, sitting
down and proceeding to open the tin
and lay out Andrea's lunch for her.
"yhe elephant-especlally dead one
holds a place in the native cosmos
ttat no white man has ever quite sue
.eeded in grasping. All those boys
are quite mad. I'VE seen one sever
his thumb from his body when he was
like that and never notice 1t till he
reeled from loss Of blood"
Andrea shivered but Msungo did
not notice 1t. "They believe" he con-
tinGsd, "that the meat Of elephant Is a
compound of the flesh Of all animals
and that by eating II they acquire oil
he leading attributes-the courage Of
the lion, the slyness Of the jackal, the
gorging capacity of the snake. the eye
sight of the hawk by day and Of the
felines by night. the industry of the
ant and the homlng instinct of the bee.
You see the line? It's endless; and
just because they have more than a
smattering Of the qualities they seek,
the superstition will never die"
He stopped to give Andrea drink
81 water and to feed her first sand
wIch. "And that isn't the only thing
mat never Dies he went on. his eyes