revolver
and putting a bullet through the serpent's head. Upon measuring him, the
reptile was found to be exactly fifteen feet in length.

"Say, ain't he a beaut though!" observed Critch, gazing down at the
bright green and gold body. "Is he hard to skin?"

"Not a bit," replied Mr. Wallace. "Not worth while, though. The colors
won't last. The gold turns white and the green black."

"I don't care," said Burt, "let's leave a couple o' men to skin him
anyhow. Even black an' white ought to make a mighty fine trophy. Snake
skin keeps better than fur, anyhow."

As Critch was also anxious to save the python skin, two of the Bantus
were left to take it into camp while the party proceeded north.

They had marched for over an hour without any sign of elephant when one
of Mvita's men appeared ahead. A number had been sent out from the
village to locate the herd, if possible. The man, flourishing his spear,
ran up and reported that before dawn he had heard loud trumpeting in the
forest ahead, not over a mile distant.

"Good enough," exclaimed Mr. Wallace. "John, get these chaps spread out
in a line across country, to drive in anything toward the center. You
stick to me, though, and handle my guns."

"Yes, sar," came the reply. A moment later the party had scattered, the
natives stretching out in a long thin line far to right and left. Once
more the advance was taken up, and all trudged steadily forward for half
a mile. It was exciting work, for at any moment the patches of small
trees, high grass and rush might yield anything from an elephant to a
lion. A very hopeful-looking thicket had just been beaten through
without any luck, and the three whites sighted an open grassy glade
which stretched away in front, when Mvita gave a low whistle and
muttered to John. The latter instantly stopped his master. Parting the
bushes cautiously and gazing out on the fairly open glade, all could see
a good sized herd of wildebeest grazing a quarter of a mile away.

"We must have one of them," whispered Mr. Wallace, as the boys stared at
the weird, bison-like animals eagerly. "We're down-wind, so I'll stalk
'em. Come on, John."

The two stole out cautiously, and began making a slow advance over the
open space, hiding behind the ant hills and among the tall grass. Only
the waving tops of the latter betrayed their presence, but just as the
boys were expecting to hear a shot, Mvita touched Burt on the arm. One
of his men had approached sile