The Forest of Mystery
CHAPTER XXV
The Fury of the Storm
While all waited silently, the sound of moving footsteps could beheard. A little later two huge elephants broke through the foliage andmade for the water hole. They drank great draughts of the refreshingliquid, and then with their long trunks sluiced themselves thoroughly.
Bob and Joe watched interestedly. They had but one fear. What if thepurring of the movie cameras could be heard by the huge brutes? Wouldthey charge the little hidden group, or would they immediately takeflight into the dark recesses of the jungle?
As the moments passed, the adventurers grew more hopeful. Thus far theelephants had not heard. Perhaps, after all, the noise was not loudenough.
"Listen!" hissed Bob, catching his chum's arm. "Something else iscoming."
He had scarcely spoken when from another direction emerged a troop ofwildebeests, followed by three zebras. Still more wild creaturesshowed up soon after, including an oryx, Thompson's gazelle,hartebeest, and numerous monkeys.
"Isn't that a wonderful sight?" whispered Mr. Holton, never taking hiseyes from the scene.
"Best ever," came from Joe.
A little later they heard a series of strange grunts, and a huge warthog moved in a slow, awkward gait toward the water hole.
"A drinking place is the best spot there is to see a number ofdifferent kinds of animals side by side," remarked Mr. Lewis, alsospeaking in a very low whisper.
"They don't seem to notice each other," observed Joe. "They just keepon drinking as though nothing else were there."
Again footsteps were heard, and with them the sound of a heavy bodycrashing through the underbrush. Then there suddenly appeared but ashort distance away a monstrous buffalo, which was also intent uponsatisfying its thirst.
"Be trouble now," said Bob.
"Wait and see," smiled his father.
Much to the boys' surprise the buffalo paid not the slightestattention to the other animals. It found a place at the pond andbegan drinking.
"That's a new one on me," whispered Bob, and Joe nodded. "Looks likethere'd be trouble, with all those different kinds of creatures thereat once."
"You see they have a common interest: to quench their thirst,"explained Mr. Lewis. "In such a case peace reigns."
But ten minutes later the explorers--and very obviously theanimals--heard something that was not so suggestive of peace. It wasthe deep, vibrating roar of a lion, which seemed to be coming nearer.
The effect was immediate. Uneasiness prevailed among the more harmlessanimals; some of them turned about and disappeared into the jungledepths, while others pricked up their ears and listened.
But there was no mistaking the distant roar. A lion was abroadstalking for prey.
As the minutes passed, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton held their riflesready for instant action. At every second they feared that the lionwould appear. Bob and Joe, although realizing that perhaps their liveswere in danger, continuing to film the scene, delighted at theunusualness of the occasion.
Suddenly the explorers' eyes opened wide, for the thing that theybeheld was exceedingly large and powerful.
A great maned lion moved slowly toward the water hole!
Their hearts in their mouths, Bob and Joe half expected to see thebeast make toward their _boma_. But it did not.
Long before, the horde of animals that had been drinking had vanished,leaving the pond to take refuge from the king of beasts. The greatlion seemed to sense that this had taken place. It uttered atremendous roar of defiance, then bent its head to drink.
"Good chance for a shot," murmured Bob, barely making himself heard.
But the naturalists shook their heads.
"One animal is enough to shoot from a _boma_," whispered Mr. Lewis."Somehow I feel that it doesn't give them a fair chance."
They watched the lion silently until the latter finally turned andleft, making its way stealthily over the carpet of twigs and rottingvines. Then Mr. Holton suggested that they get back to camp.
"That ought to be about the most interesting scene we've filmed,"remarked Joe the next morning, as with the others he prepared toleave.
"No doubt you'll get others when we penetrate deeper into thisforest," said his father.
Late the next afternoon Noko cast uneasy glances up at the distantsky. There was a worried look on his face as he lead the safarifarther into the unknown.
"Um big storm coming," he said with a frown.
"A storm?" breathed Bob. "Do you think it will be here today?"
Noko nodded, his face grave.
"Um storm him not wait," the tall African said. "Storm come much soon.Sky it getting dark."
Indeed, the signs were most threatening. The distant horizon wascolored a sickly yellow, which seemed to shine ominously. Dark cloudswere forming overhead and were joining slowly but surely.
"It certainly looks bad," murmured Mr. Lewis. "We must find sheltersomewhere. Where do you suggest going, Noko?"
"We find um cave or um-um hollow," returned the head native. "Thatonly way we get out from um storm."
A weird silence hovered about. Birds had ceased their calls; monkeyswere no longer chattering in the trees. Not the slightest suggestionof a wind played through the leaves.
Under the leadership of Noko they searched about desperately for someplace that would serve as a refuge from the approaching storm. But astime passed they were still moving through the forest as before.
Mr. Lewis suggested that they erect their tents, but the tall Africanshook his head vigorously. A storm as bad as this one promised to be,said Noko in the native language, would most certainly tear the frailtents loose almost at once. For, he reminded them, the new rainyseason was not far off.
With every passing minute the clouds banked tighter. An odd twilightenveloped the adventurers, making the task of escaping even moredifficult.
At one time Bob and Joe caught a glimpse of several monkeys huddledclosely together under a gigantic leaf. The little creatures wouldunder other circumstances have inspired a smile from the youths.
"Must hurry," urged Noko, increasing his pace still more. "Must findum cave um quick."
Then suddenly, with the fury of a battle, the tropical hurricane wasupon them!