Courage, True Hearts Part 49

And down from the trees they leapt--a score, at least, of hideous, long-armed, hairy gorillas.

If they did not possess the courage, they at all events had far more than the strength of ordinary men.

As they advanced they beat their b.r.e.a.s.t.s furiously, uttering savage cries.

"A clear head now!" shouted Duncan.

Both young fellows leaned their rifles against trees to make sure of their aim.

Br-rang! Br-rang!

The sound awakened the echoes of the ugly forest, and two gorillas fell dead.

There was a silence of fully fifteen seconds, and the boys went hurrying on again.

Then came wailings and howlings, as of grief, but these were quickly changed to yells of anger, and on they came once more. They soon overtook our two heroes, who, after firing with good effect, drew their revolvers and made a running battle of it.

Luckily they never once allowed these fiendish monsters to get into grips, else speedily indeed would they have been throttled to death.

Out into the suns.h.i.+ne, the glorious life-giving suns.h.i.+ne at last. And now they were safe. They crawled rather than walked as far as a little stream that trickled from a rock, and threw themselves down exhausted.

But youth soon recovers from exertion, and terror too, and so they finally found themselves back at the ruined fort loaded with both fruit and fish.

Happy indeed was Conal to see them, for, far away from the fort though the forest was, he had listened appalled to the awful medley of yells and shrieks, and made sure they were being murdered.

"Hillo!" cried Frank, cheerful once again--and hungry also--and it seems to me Frank was always hungry--"Hillo! Why, you have actually dinner ready?"

"Yes," said Conal, laughing. "Vike and I found some sweet-potatoes and we cooked these."

"But that splendid fish you are broiling?"

"Ah! isn't she a beauty? But you should have seen the little girl who brought it, carrying it on a little gra.s.s rope. She was a beauty too.

And we had quite a little flirtation."

"Conal! I'm--"

"Oh, are you, indeed? but I don't mind. I gave Umtomie--that's her pretty name--two lovely beads, and she sat there and sang to me, so sweetly! Then she brought me a calabash full of water, and, smiling over teeth quite as white and even as a pointer puppy's, she waved her hand, her lily hand--no, her raven hand--"

"That's more truthful, Con."

"And off she trotted once again."

"Then, I suppose," said Frank, "the suns.h.i.+ne went all out of your life, eh?"

"Well, there did seem to be a partial eclipse or something. But down you sit to chow-chow."

Down they did sit, and a right hearty meal they made.

It was Conal's turn to go sporting the next day. But he and Duncan gave the forest a wide berth, and so nothing very wild in the shape of adventure fell to their lot.

Much time was spent every day now in prospecting.

Duncan couldn't and wouldn't believe that the hands that built that strong fort had not dug for and found both gold and diamonds.

And he determined, if possible, to find some also.

Unluckily they had no mining-tools, neither spade, shovel, nor pick-axe.

But Frank was a boy of infinite resources.

"Why not make miners' tools?" he said. "We have chisels and hammers and what not, and there is a tree growing yonder that is as hard as iron!"

"What! Another happy thought, Frank?"

"Yes, Duncan, my brave old captain, and I haven't got half-way to the bottom of my mine of happy thought yet."

Well, picks and spades were now actually fas.h.i.+oned, partly by tools, partly by fire. And then the boys set to work with a will to open the old mines.

They had worked for a whole week, but without success, when one evening a loud and awful trumpeting told them that elephants had arrived on the plains below, or were pa.s.sing through the country of the cannibals for pastures new.

"What a splendid chance for sport!" cried Frank.

"Yes," said Conal. "Fancy bagging a few elephants. Tuskers, don't they call them, brother?"

"Yes, in India the males are so named, but here in Africa both s.e.xes have tusks, though those on the he ones are bigger, and are said to be better ivory."

It was determined, therefore, to march against the elephants next day, and neither Conal nor Frank could sleep very well for thinking of it.

Now, though I have no desire to be hard upon my heroes, I must say that I am not sorry for what happened, because elephants--next to our friend the dog--are probably the wisest and most innocent animals in the world.

When, therefore, Duncan next forenoon killed a lady elephant and Conal wounded a bull, the lady being his wife, it was no wonder he should lose his temper and charge right down on the lad.

To fly was impossible. There was no refuge anywhere. But Conal did attempt to retreat. He stumbled and fell, however, and next moment the awful foe was upon him. A less brave boy would have fainted, but there was no such weakness about Conal, though he felt his hour was come, and Duncan, who was fully eighty yards away, could not a.s.sist him. He put his hands to his eyes to avoid being a witness to the dreadful death of his brother, which now seemed inevitable.

The wounded monster had dashed forward trumpeting, but, once alongside, though blood was jerking from a wound through one of his eyes, he attacked immediately. He knelt beside the boy's prostrate form and attempted to tusk him. The terrible snorting, blood-streaming head was close over him. But, with the quickness and cuteness of a professional footballer, Conal rolled himself between his legs, and now the brute attempted to squash him to death with his knees, and Conal managed, strange to say, to avoid each stroke.

It was really a tussle for life, and, unable to bear the sight any longer, Duncan came rus.h.i.+ng on now towards the scene of conflict, apparently determined to die with Conal if he could not rescue him.

The boy seemed to be dead, and was almost under the elephant. But Duncan took steady aim, and the bullet put out the poor beast's other eye. He staggered to his feet now, and, stumbling and trumpeting as he went, made directly back to the herd.

Conal was bruised and sore, as well he might be, but otherwise intact, and the two hunters now made for higher ground.

Now I do not know the reason for what followed. I can but guess it, and give the reader facts. Only, when the great bull regained the herd, which, by the way, numbered only about a score, he fell, or rather threw himself down in front of his companions.

"Kill me now," he seemed to plead. "My mate is dead, and I am blind and in pain. Put me out of my misery."