Part 5 (1/2)

The most curious fruit I met as like a lie nut I had to climb a tree to obtain them, for all those lower down had been carried off by elephants ere evidently very fond of the fruit

As our object was to o out of the way to shoot any large gaainst lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, or hyaenas

The first day's journeyseveral in the distance, though none came near us We fore fire in front of us, and on either side of the trunk we erected a fence of stout stakes in a semi-circular for molested by wild beasts The ox remained outside, and we knew that he would run to the fire, should danger threaten hi fro over soundly, and I akened by the roar of a lion, which stood on a mound so near our fire, and the palisade which he probably took for a trap

We had exhausted our stock of wood during the night, and in theour breakfast I was e so, when I heardlustily for help, and at the sahs reachedup to the ca up, fearing that a lion had pounced down upon Jan, while picking up sticks, and I was fully prepared for an encounter with the savage brute Instead of a lion, however, I saw an elephant, with trunk uplifted, rush out fro behind a tree, as the only place of safety, asto his hind leg How the black had got there was the puzzle, and how to rescue him from his aard position was the next question to be solved Should he let go, he ht naturally expect to receive a kick from the elephant's hind foot which would effectually knock all the breath out of his body; and yet, should he not get free, he ht be carried miles away and perish miserably My only hope was at once to mortally wound the elephant Not a moment was to be lost if I was to save poor Jan Just then the elephant caught sight of the ox, and stopped as if considering if he should attack it Whether he are that Jan was clinging to his leg or not, I could not tell, as the black's weight no

The ox, instead of endeavouring to escape, presented its head to the elephant, though it trembled in every lio as I thought he would have done, and his best chance would have been to spring back, even though he had fallen on the ground directly behind the elephant I did not like to shout to hi the creature's attention

Now or never was my time to save the poor fellow I stepped fro my rifle, aieto and fro I shouted to Jan to leap off and hurried on to help him Before I reached the spot, he had followed my advice, and hardly had he done so, than down caround Jan raised a shout of triumph

”Dehiave a bellow of satisfaction as he saw his huge foe stretched lifeless on the ground

We at once set to work to extract the tusks with our axes Rather than leave thereed to take theether with some slices of elephantthe day

We now pushed forward for the cave where we had left our goods, andWe saw nuiraffes, and a few ostriches The latter I would have killed if I could, for the sake of their valuable feathers The cave had been untouched, and it ith no small satisfaction that I loaded up the ox with its contents, as we prepared to set off the next , on our way back, to obtain the elephant's tusks we had deposited in the tree, which had afforded me such seasonable shelter when attacked by their owner

We met as before buffaloes, elands, koodoos, and various antelopes As I alking along ahead, suddenly I foundoff the web--for such it was--I caught sight of a large yellow spider, hauling hihbourhood werefro for its prey

Each as about a yard in dia, suspended from one tree to another, were as thick as coarse thread We occasionally enerally kept out of our way

One day, during a halt, while seated under a tree, I caught sight of another enore Never did I see a creature so active It suddenlya tree moth which it quickly devoured With wonderful rapidity it ran about the tree, now darting forward, now springing back With a feeling of horror lest it should spring upon round, I sahat I at first thought was a coin the size of a shi+lling; but on looking closer I discovered that it was of a pure white silky substance like paper, and that it for to lift it up I discovered that it was fastened by a hinge on one side, and on turning it over upon the hole it fitted exactly--the upper side being covered with earth and grass, so that, had it not been for the circumstance that the inmate had been out, I could not possibly have detected it Jan said it was the hole of a spider, probably the creature I had seen engaged in seeking its prey

While enca of heads and horns Jan told

Presently a loud snorting and puffing reached our ears The uproar increased, and he declared that the noise was produced by rhinoceroses and buffaloes quarrelling My fear was that in their heady fight the aniht come our way and trample over us, or perhaps the rhinoceroses would attack our poor ox, as but ill able to defend hi out beyond our caefirst, followed by the fe to drink I followed the satisfied their thirst, they began throwing it over the and rolling about like a party of schoolboys bathing As I could not have carried away their tusks, I did not attempt to shoot one but left the by the way they had coe phantoround

It is strange that, huge as the elephant is, fro of its feet, the sound of its steps is not heard even on hard ground Its approach is only to be discovered by the snapping of boughs and twigs as itthe brushwood

We were but a short distance from the spot where we had left the elephant's tusks, one of the objects of our expedition I felt very sure of the place, as the adventure we had thereup to the tree followed by Jan, when I saw an objectthe branches This made me approach cautiously, and fortunately I did so, for on looking up, I caught sight of an enormous leopard, which probably had been attracted by the s to the roots of the tusks As the creature had got possession of the tree, I had first to dislodge him before I could obtain our tusks; that they were still there I discovered by seeing their points sticking out beyond the forks of the boughs where we had deposited the aniht attempt to catch me in the sah I shouted at the top of my voice, and threw pieces of wood at it, it held its post, snarling and growling savagely

”Better shoot him, or he come dohen no tinkee,” cried Jan, who had remained with the ox at a safe distance

As ere in a hurry to move on, I saw that the sooner I did this the better, but it was important to shoot it dead, for should I ht make its leap before I had reloaded, and attack ood aiunfroh on which it was perched I expected the next instant to feel its fangs in round by its sharp claws; but happily its feet caught in so vines which were entwined round the tree, and it very nearly ca itself, however, it pitched on a lower bough