ror, "Aka! Aka!" he took the rifle with which he
usually shot at guinea-fowl and, firing into the opening, said, shoving
the boy with the barrel:

"Your Mzimu is killed. Do not fear."

And Kali raised his body, but remained on his knees.

"Oh, great master! great! You do not even fear Mzimu!"

"Aka! Aka!" exclaimed Stas, mimicking the negro.

And he began to laugh.

The negro became calm after a time and when he sat down to partake of
the food prepared by Mea, it appeared that the temporary fright had not
at all deprived him of his appetite, for besides a portion of smoked
meat he consumed the raw liver of the zebra colt, not counting the wild
figs, which a sycamore growing in the neighborhood furnished in great
abundance. Afterwards with Stas they returned to the tree, about which
there was yet a good deal of work to do. The removal of the decayed
wood and the ashes, with hundreds of broiled scarabees and centipedes,
together with a score of baked bats occupied over two hours' time. Stas
was also surprised that the bats could live in the immediate
neighborhood of the snake. He surmised, however, that the gigantic
python either despised such trifling game or, not being able to wind
himself around anything in the interior of the trunk, could not reach
them. The glowing coals, having caused the fall of layers of decayed
wood, cleaned out the interior splendidly, and its appearance delighted
Stas, for it was as wide as a large room and could have given shelter
not merely to four persons, but to ten men. The lower opening formed a
doorway and the upper a window, thanks to which in the huge trunk it
was neither dark nor stifling. Stas thought of dividing the whole, by
means of the tent canvas, into two rooms, of which one was to be
assigned to Nell and Mea and the other to himself, Kali, and Saba. The
tree was not decayed to the top of the trunk; the rain, therefore,
could not leak to the center, but in order to be protected completely,
it was sufficient to raise and prop bark above both openings in such
manner that it should form two eaves. The bottom of the interior he
determined to strew with sand from the river bank which had been
grilled by the sun, and to carpet its surface with dry moss.

The work was really hard, especially for Kali, for he had, in addition,
to cure the meat, water the horses, and think of fodder for the
elephant who was incessantly trumpeting for it. But the young negro
proceeded to work abo