iani; he has got his punishment, and you punish me
too by not telling me the story," asked Selim.

"Yes, yes, Moto, go on!" said the deep-voiced Simba. "Do you not hear
the young master ask you? Heh, what is the matter with the man
to-night?"

"Oh, well, if you are all going to interrupt me, the story will last
from here to Rua," said Moto in a careless tone.

"Moto," said Selim, "I will never disturb you any more--there's my hand
on my promise."

Moto's pride and vanity being gratified by this ready promise of Selim,
cleared his throat, and commenced this time in earnest, as follows:

"We were travelling through Ukonongo, and had reached Sultan Mrera's
village, when Kisesa asked me to go to the forest along the river to
look for game, adding that if I brought a Kudu antelope to the camp he
would give me four yards of cotton cloth.

"After a good breakfast of rice and carry, which Kisesa sent me from his
table to make me strong, I started. It was then about noon, and the sun
was very hot, though once in the forest it would be cool enough. In a
short time I was by the river, a crooked little stream of delicious and
clear water. I walked along, looking to the right and left constantly
for hours, when just about two hours before sunset, I heard a hollow
sound, as though the earth was shaking; but I knew, after listening,
that the sound was caused by a herd of elephants walking in file along
the hard-baked road, and that they were approaching the stream to drink.

"In a moment I was down on my face like a dead man. The grass was about
two feet high, and very thick, so that I was quite safe, if I did not
stir, and I am too old a hunter not to know what to do in the
neighbourhood of elephants. As the elephants passed by I lifted my head
up cautiously, and counted them. Two--four--six--eight--ten enormous
beasts, who tossed their trunks aloft, as if they were masters of the
forest, and knew it. Careless and confident, they passed on, and I
wriggled out until I was some distance away; then I jumped up and leaped
across the stream, and on all fours crept across a deep bend of it; then
lying flat along the ground, I moved forward towards a great tree, a
baobab, that stood between me and them. If the elephants had all stood
in a row drinking from the river I could never have come up to them
unseen, but one greedily thirsty fellow was standing in the middle of
the stream, almost touching the baobab tree with his si