with a smiling yawn, "that's it, is it? Been hunting
elephants and lions, eh?"

"Why, how did you guess that?" I asked, in surprise; "were you not
asleep just now?"

"Of course I was, and dreaming too, like yourself, I make no doubt. I
had just bagged my fifteenth elephant and my tenth lion when your laugh
awoke me. And the best of it is that I was carrying the whole bagful on
my back at once, and did not feel much oppressed by the weight."

"That beats my dream hollow," observed Peterkin; "so its my opinion we'd
better have breakfast.--Makarooroo, hy! d'ye hear? rouse up, you junk of
ebony."

"Yis, massa, comin'," said our guide, rising slowly from his lair on the
opposite side of our fireplace.

"D'you hear?"

"Yis, massa."

"You're a nigger!"

"Dat am a fact."

"Well, being a nigger you're a brick, so look sharp with that splendid
breakfast you promised us last night. I'll wager a million pounds that
you had forgotten all about it."

"No, massa, me no forgit. Me up in centre ob de night and put 'im in de
hole. Wat you call 'im--oben?"

"Ay, oven, that's it."

"Yis. Well, me git 'im d'rec'ly."

"And, I say, hold on," added Peterkin. "Don't you suppose I'm going to
stand on ceremony with you. Your name's too long by half. Too many
rooroos about it, so I'm going to call you Mak in future, d'ye
understand?"

The negro nodded and grinned from ear to ear as he left us. Presently
he returned with a huge round, or lump of meat, at which we looked
inquisitively. The odour from it was delightful, and the tender, juicy
appearance of the meat when Makarooroo, who carved it for us, cut the
first slice, was quite appetising to behold.

"What is it?" inquired Peterkin.

"Elephant's foot," replied the guide.

"Gammon," remarked Peterkin.

"It's true, massa. Don't you see him's toe?"

"So it is," said Jack.

"And it's first-rate," cried I, tasting a morsel.

With that we fell to and made a hearty meal, after which we, along with
the king and all his people, retraced our steps to the river and
returned to the native town, where we spent another day in making
preparations to continue our journey towards the land of the gorilla.

During the hunt which I have just described I was very much amused as
well as amazed at the reckless manner in which the negroes loaded their
rusty old trade-guns. They put in a whole handful of powder each time,
and above that as much shot and bits of old iron of