sembling
at times a hurricane, which seized and carried them to the mountains
and far beyond the mountains. In order to protect Nell from the
scorching heat, Stas constructed from pieces of a tent a palanquin in
which the little maid was to ride on the elephant. The King, after a
few trials, became accustomed to this not great burden, as well as to
the fastening of the palanquin on his back with strong palm ropes. This
load after all was a feather in comparison to others with which it was
intended to burden him and upon the distribution and tying of which
Kali and Mea were engaged.

Little Nasibu was commissioned to dry bananas and grind them into flour
between two flat stones. At the plucking of the heavy bunches of fruit
he was assisted by the King, at which work they overfed themselves to
such an extent that, in the neighborhood of the huts, bananas were soon
entirely gone, and they had to go to another plantation lying on the
opposite extremity of the table-land. Saba, who had nothing to do, most
frequently accompanied them on these excursions.

But Nasibu, for his zeal, almost paid with his life, or at least with
captivity of a singular kind. For it happened that once when he was
plucking bananas above the brink of a steep hanging rock he suddenly
beheld in the rocky gap a hideous face, covered with black hair,
blinking at him with its eyes, and displaying white fangs as though
smiling. The boy was stupefied from terror at first and then began to
scurry away as fast as his legs could carry him. He ran between ten and
twenty paces when a hairy arm wound around him, he was lifted off his
feet, and the monster, black as night, began to fly with him to the
precipice.

Fortunately the gigantic ape, having seized the boy, could run only on
two feet, in consequence of which Saba, who was in the vicinity, easily
overtook it and buried his fangs in its back. A horrible fight began,
in which the dog, notwithstanding his powerful stature and strength,
would surely have had to succumb, for a gorilla vanquishes even a lion.
Simians as a rule, however, do not relinquish their quarry even though
their lives and liberty are in danger. The gorilla, being caught from
behind, could not easily reach Saba; nevertheless, having grabbed him
by the neck with its left hand it had already raised him, when the
ground gave a dull sound under heavy steps and the King appeared.

One light thwack with the trunk sufficed to prostrate with a s