The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1920-03-04
CHAPTER vn--continued.

-
She dropped her head against him
and acbbed. He put his arm around
hev and patted her awkwardly on the
back. "Therei Therei" he said.
Don't Please don't" Seemingly with
out his volition 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 a different
voice, this isn't my funeral. Come
and cry IN the elephant"
.An right" said Andrea. docilely.
Flew many were there? I heard a
teoupe-an army of them"
~You heard just one" said M'sungo.
Dabbing Mt her eyes with soiled fists.
ahe followed him to the side of the
fallen monarch around which were
gathered the natives, a sort of glazed
1--WE on their faces, for the dead bull
was q 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-tet"
Scarcely had the cry Of homage died
away when q 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 a death struggle. the whisper
ing gush Of blood from mighty lungs.
nightly pierced. With a yell they
broke toward that music and suddenly
stopped, remembering that II Is al
ways wise with elephant to let the gun
TO arst.
Andrea. frightened. stopped SWIVEL
ing. ~What Is itr' she asked.
Il got two" said M'sungo apollo
getically. 'sThat's the one that kept
me waiting between heaven and hell"
II remember. 1t was awful. But
why did you waltz What did he have
20 do with 1t. poor dearf"
M'sungo smiled In spite of himself.
HE had a great deal to do with It." he
answered. "Until he started tearing
the tree to pieces and took a half turn
% dodge the damage. he was headed
right down our trail. wasn't he7"
Andrea nodded.
"Well," continued Msungo, kicking
the mountain OF flesh at his side, "just
an 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
chat has been paid for with the lives
Of many men. A startled elephant
doesn't charge: he bolts whichever
way he's headed"
He looked up and added with par
dcnabie pride: "And that. too. Is how
knew where to get him running--the
other way. I made up my mind where
to shoot before he was there"
They went to survey the second
beast He was quite dead; one long
tusk cleaning white. an ivory island
In q lake or bright blood. "Come
away" said M'sungo quickly. He led
her TO the shade Of one OF the big
trees where Marguerite. newly arrived.
vas already browsing and dreaming
happily Of all the evil In the world.
Around the nearby elephant. the ma
lives swarmed like maggots.
"Bathtub !" shouted M'sungo. -Cho-
culaT
Bathtrb turned li%ngeringiy from the
carcass, rushed over, dropped the
lunch box at M'sungo's feet and
plunged back again. "Neu have 20
forgive him." said MEungo. sitting
down and proceeding to open the tin
and lay out Andrea's lunch for her.
.sThe elephant-especlally q dead one
holds q place In the native cosmos
that no white man has ever quite sue
ceeded In grasping. All those boys
are cutie mad. I've seen one sever
his thumb from his body when he was
like that end never notice It till he
reeled from loss OF blood"
Andrea shivered but Msungo did
not notice It. "They believe" he con-
fnued. 'sthat the meat Of elephant Is a
compound OF the flesh OF all animals
and that BY eating It they acquire all
the leading att~ributes--the courage Of
che Hon, the slyness Of the jackal, the
gorging capacity or the snake. the eye
sight OF the hawk by day and Of the
selinee by night: h Industry Of the
ant and the honAing instinct OF the bee.
You see the line7 It's endless; and
1ust because they have more than A
smatterIng or the qualities they seek,
tine superstition viii NxS~psN>ssu Va
He xf0Dped to cfye Andrea q drink