t once to inspect her new
dwelling, but Stas, who with each day acquired more experience and
prudence, restrained her from too sudden housekeeping.

"Before we live there," he said, "it is first necessary to bid the
present tenants to move out, if any such are found there."

Saying this, he ordered Mea to throw into the interior of the baobab
tree a few lighted boughs, which smoked profusely because the branches
were fresh.

In fact, it appeared that he did well as the gigantic tree was occupied
by housekeepers upon whose hospitality no reliance could be placed.

VI

There were two apertures in the tree, one large, about a half a yard
from the ground; the other smaller, and about as high as the first
story of a city residence. Mea had scarcely thrown the lighted, smoking
branches into the lower one when immediately out of the upper one big
bats began to fly; squeaking and blinded by the luster of the sun, they
flew aimlessly about the tree. But after a while from the lower opening
there stole out, like lightning, a real tenant, in the person of a
monstrous boa, who evidently, digesting the remnants of the last feast
in a semi-somnolent state, had not become aroused and did not think of
safety until the smoke curled in his nostrils. At the sight of the
strong body, which, like a monstrous spring, darted out of the smoking
interior of the tree, Stas grabbed Nell in his arms and began to run
with her in the direction of the open jungle. But the reptile, itself
terror-stricken, did not think of pursuing them; instead, winding in
the grass and among the scattered packages, it slid away with
unheard-of speed in the direction of the ravine, seeking to hide amid
the rocky fissures and crannies. The children recovered their
composure. Stas placed Nell on the ground and rushed for his rifle, and
afterwards pursued the snake in the direction of the ravine, Nell
following him. But after going a score of paces such an extraordinary
spectacle struck their eyes that they stood still as if thunderstruck.
Now high above the ravine appeared in the twinkling of an eye the body
of the snake, and, describing a zigzag in the air, it fell again to the
bottom. After a while it appeared a second time and again fell. The
children, reaching the brink, saw with amazement that their new friend,
the elephant, was amusing himself in this manner, for having first
despatched the snake twice upon an aerial journey, at present he was
crushing i