crashing had gone up from the herd in
front, and another bull appeared in the path in full charge. Trees,
matted creepers and bushes went down before him and for an instant the
little group stood paralyzed with the sudden danger. Then Burt raised
his rifle and fired. His bullet was wildly aimed but proved lucky, for
it struck the elephant in the eye and penetrated the brain. He staggered
forward another step and then rolled over just as the others fired.

"Good for you!" cried Mr. Wallace. He gripped Burt's hand and shook it
heartily, as did Captain Mac. Critch pounded his chum on the back in an
ecstasy of delight. The herd had crashed away and was gone, and as one
of the bearers was carrying the camera, Burt and Critch got some views
of the dead elephants, after which the hunters took out their knives.

The hides were disregarded as not worth the effort of preparing. The
tusks were cut out and the feet were taken off to be served up by John
as the most delicate of jungle dishes. Then the local blacks fell to
work and cut up the rest of the carcasses for home consumption. It was
about noon, so Mr. Wallace decided that they would return to their camp
and follow the herd another day.

"This is good country," he said as they walked along. "Between hunting
and trading we ought to get a nice lot of ivory together pretty soon. I
think I'll make a permanent camp just outside the town and not go in any
farther, Montenay."

Captain Mac merely nodded. He remained very silent, however, on the
return trip. When they got home the tusks were weighed and it was found
that the smaller bull, the first to appear, carried one hundred and ten
pounds of ivory. The larger, which Burt had killed, was a good deal
older and his tusks weighed twenty pounds more.

"That's big ivory, lad," said Montenay as they sat down to their
postponed lunch in the afternoon. "It ain't often ye'll get beasts
carryin' more'n a hundred thirty. 'Cept, o' course, some old chap who's
wandered off by himself an' kept the blacks too scared to be huntin'
him. I mind once I dropped just such an old bull down south an' got a
hundred seventy--nigh to bein' a record."

"It was a mighty lucky shot," laughed Burt. "I just threw her up an' let
go 'cause I was too scared to aim. Goin' out to-morrow?"

"Since ye're goin' to camp here permanent," returned Captain Mac,
addressing Mr. Wallace, "I'm thinkin' I'll be takin' a little hike into
the woods. I'll take a score o'