hot. The elephant's trunk was no longer
touching him, but the exertion he had made was beyond his strength; his
hands relaxed their hold, he felt himself falling. Consciousness,
however, did not desert him. He expected in another instant to be
crushed to death by the creature's feet, or to be dashed by its trunk
against a tree. He fell heavily to the ground. All he could see for a
moment was a dark form above him. He made a desperate effort to
struggle out of its way, but his limbs refused to aid him. He closed
his eyes, resigned to his fate. But the death he expected did not come.
A shout sounded on his ear. Looking up he saw the black stooping over
him, while a few paces off, lay the elephant which Sambroko's shot had
brought to the ground.

"Well done, young master, well done!" cried the black. "You are not
much hurt. We will carry you to the camp, and send the people to bring
in the meat and tusks. We shall have fine feasting, and all will be
grateful to you for having supplied us with meat." Such was what Ned
understood the black to say.

He was very thankful to find himself placed on a litter, composed of a
couple of poles and some cross pieces cut down from the neighbouring
trees, when his bearers immediately set off towards the camp. The men,
on hearing of their success, uttered shouts of joy, while half their
number set off to bring in the tusks and elephant meat and venison.
Sayd attended to Ned's hurts. One of his ankles was severely injured by
his fall, and his shoulder was also sprained. It was evident that he
would be unable to march for several days.

"You must remain here until you have recovered your strength," said
Sayd. "The people will be in no hurry to move while they have such an
abundance of meat. If you cannot walk after a few days, they must carry
you, and they will be ready to do so, as they owe their feasting to you.
Sambroko tells me that one, if not both, of your shots mortally wounded
the elephant, though it was his which saved your life, for had he not
fired the moment he did you would probably have been destroyed by the
beast."

"I am very thankful to him, at all events," said Ned; "but I am very
sorry to detain you when it is so important to push forward."

"Allah wills it, we must not repine," answered Sayd; "and as we have to
remain, we must lose no time in fortifying our camp to protect ourselves
against wild beasts as well as human foes."

In accordance with