brush with British but shook them off. Into desert five days
full speed. Country deserted. Chain of small lakes, woods, hills as
indicated on plan. Deserted ruined huts, no natives. Found Lake Quilqua
to south of others.'"

"What!" cried Charlie. "Is that there, General? Is it--"

"You vill keep quiet, please!" rumbled von Hofe. Charlie subsided as the
General nodded. Jack said nothing, only his flushed cheeks and gleaming
eyes showing his eagerness.

"'Lake fed by hot springs. Water warm, very reedy. Crossed to island
fifty yards from shore. Found stronghold ruined, slave irons and
neck-rings, plenty of skeletons. Evidently place was swept by plague,
none escaping. Burned slave-barracoon and house. All very old--at least
ten years. Slavers' stronghold explains desolated country. Natives all
skipped or slaves.

"'Z. and I located big ivory cache under left gate-post. Went back to
camp for men, found dying Arab. Gigantic buffalo gored him. Rest gone
with camels. Big python showed up; all scared out. Found camel in trees
and stayed to look around. Stories true. Shot two buffalo--suggested
prehistoric type, great horns. Shot python, thirty-nine feet.

"'Guns safe. Third day found elephant spoor. Could hardly believe it.
Sighted and caught him by deserted native village. Rogue, fine trophy
for L. S. Biggest ever saw, must stand fourteen feet or better. Ivory
twelve feet. Z. game to tackle him, next day.

"'Rogue didn't wait. Tackled us before dawn. One foot came down through
tent, missed me by six inches. Rolled out and grabbed gun. Z. knocked
senseless. Fired once, but rogue placed trunk around me and threw me
twenty feet into bushes. Senseless.

"'Woke up to find rogue gone. Z. pulled me out of thorns and tied me up.
Badly smashed. Amputated left hand at wrist. Elephant had smashed guns,
with all he could find. Z. lost his nerve. Don't wonder. He caught the
camel unhurt. I told him to head south to find L. S. or natives, then
fainted again.

"'Don't remember much of what happened next. Z. says we rode bareback.
Held me in his arms all the way. Five days. No water or grub. Camel
died with river only hundred yards away, poor brute. That's all.'"

The explorer paused, trying to make out the last few lines, which seemed
almost illegible. Charlie stared, gulping down a sob at the bare recital
of that terrible journey. It was hard to realize that only a few weeks
ago he had seen and talked with the intrepid little man