e wall and the detached rock, but immediately began to retreat with
bristling hair.

Stas dismounted from the horse to see what could have scared the dog.

"Stas, don't go there," Nell begged; "a lion might be there."

The boy, who was something of a swashbuckler and who from the previous
day had taken extraordinary offense at lions, replied:

"A great thing. A lion in daylight!"

However, before he approached the passageway, Kali's voice resounded
from above:

"Bwana kubwa! Bwana kubwa!"

"What is it?" Stas asked.

The negro slid down the stalk of the climbing plant in the twinkling of
an eye. From his face it was easy to perceive that he brought some
important news.

"An elephant!" he shouted.

"An elephant?"

"Yes," answered the young negro, waving his hands; "there thundering
water, here a rock. The elephant cannot get out. Great master kill the
elephant and Kali will eat him. Oh, eat, eat!"

And at this thought he was possessed by such joy that he began to leap,
slapping his knees with his palms and laughing as if insane, in
addition rolling his eyes and displaying his white teeth.

Stas at first did not understand why Kali said that the elephant could
not get out of the ravine. So, desiring to see what had happened, he
mounted his horse and entrusting Nell to Mea in order to have his hands
free in an emergency, he ordered Kali to sit behind him; after which
they all turned back and began to seek a place by which they could
reach the top. On the way Stas questioned him how the elephant got into
such a place and from Kali's replies he ascertained more or less what
had happened.

The elephant evidently ran before the fire by way of the ravine during
the burning of the jungle; on the way he forcibly bumped against a
loosened rock, which tumbled down and cut off his retreat. After that,
having reached the end of the hollow, he found himself on the edge of a
precipice below which a river ran, and in this manner was imprisoned.

After a while they discovered an outlet but so steep that it was
necessary to dismount from the horses and lead them after. As the negro
assured them that the river was very near they proceeded on foot. They
finally reached a promontory, bounded on one side by a river, on the
other by the hollow, and glancing downward they beheld on the bottom of
a dell an elephant.

The huge beast was lying on its stomach and to Stas' great surprise did
not start up at the sight of them. Onl