CHAPTER XXIX
Angry Natives
"Thomas Seabury!" cried Bob and Joe almost in one breath, recognizingthe man from a picture his brother had shown them in Mombasa.
They scrambled down the ladder in all haste, forgetting danger,forgetting everything.
"My name!" the man exclaimed in a bewildered voice. "How, may I ask,did you young men get hold of it?"
Mr. Seabury was rather a small man, with long gray hair and a heavybeard. His fine face bore the look of a scholar.
"We've been hunting for you," Joe told him. "Your brother, back inMombasa, asked us to be on the lookout for you."
"Then--he is not here?"
"No," returned Bob. He did not think it wise to add that GeorgeSeabury had been injured by a rhino. "He couldn't come with us, but wepromised to be on watch for you."
The man reeled as if to fall. Then he got a grip on himself.
"At last," he murmured, breathing heavily, "I have seen a whiteperson."
"Were you lost?" inquired Joe.
"Lost, yes. And worse than lost," returned Mr. Seabury grimly. "I wascaptured by hostile savages and was about to be sacrificed in theirhorrid rites. But I managed to slip off in the night and escape fromtheir village. It was a horrible experience--wandering through thistrackless forest. I had given myself up for lost when I happened tofind this hut. Who built it I do not know. But it had food storedaway, and I ate it at once."
"How long have you been here?" asked Joe. "In this vicinity, I mean."
"Only two days," Seabury replied. "Though it seems more like twoyears. I held not the slightest hope of seeing any white person. Infact, I fully expected to die a slow death from hunger. But now," hecontinued in a lighter tone, "I am saved."
"It was just luck that we found you," Bob said. "My friend here----Wait. Pardon us for not introducing ourselves. This is Joe Lewis, andmy name is Holton--Bob Holton."
Thomas Seabury extended a hand, which the youths clasped warmly.
"As I was saying," resumed Bob, "Joe happened to see this ant hill. Wecame over to investigate."
"I am only too thankful that you did," the man said. "But how did youhappen to be here? What are you doing in Africa?"
"We're with our dads," Joe told him. "Came to collect specimens ofwild animals and birds. And now, Mr. Seabury, suppose we go back tocamp. That is, if you're ready."
"I am more than ready," was the answer. "Camp is a word that soundsbetter to me than 'most any I can think of."
They found the two natives waiting. The latter displayed unusualsurprise at seeing another white man in that vast jungle. Mr. Seaburyfell to talking with them, telling them in their own language of hisexperience.
Back at camp, which they finally reached, Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton metthem.
"But look who we've found," said Joe happily. "Thomas Seabury."
"Well, what in the----" Mr. Lewis could hardly believe his eyes, whileBob's father was no less surprised.
Joe introduced Mr. Seabury to the naturalists and then told of how heand his chum had found the missing man.
"Good for you, boys," praised Mr. Holton. "If you hadn't found him,perhaps he wouldn't have been found."
"I wonder if I am dreaming," said Mr. Seabury. "If I am, I never wantto wake up."
The youths' fathers spent the remainder of the day in telling of theirexperiences since leaving Mombasa and in listening to Seabury's.
But the next morning all were up early preparing for an extensive huntfor specimens. Bob and Joe with their cameras, and the scientists withtheir rifles, left camp and headed southward, with several of thebearers following.
They had not gone far when they became aware of a deep drumming noise,which seemed to roll along the ground.
"What's that?" asked Bob, becoming worried. "Savages?"
Mr. Seabury, who was with them, nodded.
"I have often heard the noise," he said, "and I believe it is made bynatives. But they are probably a great distance off. I don't believewe are in any danger."
All during the hunt the adventurers could hear the deep vibrating ofdrums, but as it seemed to get no nearer they thought no more aboutit.
Back at camp they saw a group of strange natives, their facesstreaked with white paint, talking with Noko and the bearers. At firstthe explorers hesitated to move on into camp for fear that trouble wasat hand. But they finally concluded that it would be safe.
"What's up, Noko?" inquired Mr. Holton.
The tall black seemed glad his masters had returned.
"Him want sell you um _kidogo_ [little] white elephant skin," Nokosaid.
"A white elephant skin?" demanded Bob suddenly. "Let's see it."
The natives seemed to regard the youths in some surprise. But theysoon did as asked, producing the white elephant skin.
At sight of it Bob and Joe uttered startled exclamations.
"Why, that's the one we killed!" cried Bob angrily. "See. There'swhere our bullets entered the head."
"You're right, Bob," said Mr. Lewis, after a moment of examining theskin.
"Ask them where they got it," said Joe.
The naturalists put the question before the natives in their ownlanguage. They replied that they had speared it several miles fromthere, and, having heard of the safari, went to see if they couldsell it.
"They're big liars!" stormed Bob, when this had been translated. "Thatwhite elephant skin belongs to us. And," he added with determination,"we're going to have it without pay!
"Tell those savages to get out of here, Noko," he said. "Tell themthat if they don't they'll wish they had." He removed his revolverfrom its holster and, as Noko talked, flashed it before the savages.
When Noko had finished translating, the savages grew furiously angry.They advanced threateningly toward the explorers, paying no attentionto Bob's gun.
CHAPTER XXX
An Old Mystery Is Cleared
One big native made a grab for the white elephant skin.
But his hand never reached it. With a powerful blow, Bob sent the mancrashing to the ground so hard that he was put in a daze. Then,raising the revolver, the youth fired three shots into the air.
They had the desired effect. The savages turned on their heels anddashed off, leaving their downed companion behind. Before long he toohad disappeared.
"Well, you certainly made quick work of them," laughed Mr. Seabury,who had been impressed by the rapidity of Bob's action. "Couldn't seethem for the dust."
"They were glad enough to get out of it," grinned Joe. "Old Bob wouldhave cleaned up on the whole bloomin' bunch."
Everyone had to laugh, now that the danger was over. Even Noko joinedin.
"Um strong fella," he said, feeling Bob's arms. "You make um leavever' quick."
The naturalists examined the elephant skin and were delighted with it.For they knew that it was one of the rarest of the rare.
"Here's hoping we shoot another pigmy white elephant," said Joe, "anda lot more new specimen's besides."
During the weeks that followed they did shoot another of the strangeelephants, and in addition brought down a large number of other wildcreatures. The latter were carefully skinned and labeled by thenaturalists.
Bob and Joe found themselves constantly occupied in working at someinteresting task, such as photographing the mysterious forest. Theyexposed several thousand feet of motion-picture film.
On one afternoon a heavy drizzle fell, making it impossible for theadventurers to go on with their work. And many of the days thatfollowed were not without their thunderstorms.
"Now that the rainy season is at hand," remarked Mr. Lewis one morningas he sat in a tent, "I suggest that we start back to the coast. We'vecollected more than enough specimens, and the boys have taken scoresof motion-picture scenes."
The explorers attended to packing their belongings, assembling thespecimens, oiling their firearms, and the like. It required nearly aweek to complete preparations, but at last they were ready for thereturn journey.
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Through the dark Forest of Mystery and then over the many plains andwooded tracts they hiked, at last coming to Mbarara. From there theywent by automobile to a terminal on the railroad, and then by trainback to Mombasa.
In this city the youths and their fathers were induced to stop for aweek at George Seabury's house. That gentleman fairly hugged hisbrother at seeing him alive and well. He thanked the explorers,particularly Bob and Joe, again and again for finding him and bringinghim back with them.
The Americans finally succeeded in obtaining passage on an Americanship. Bob and Joe in particular found the return voyage veryinteresting, even though they had made it before.
They were sitting on deck one morning in the midst of a row ofpassengers when a stranger leaned toward them.
"Beg pardon, fellows," he said, "but I wonder if you'd mind telling mewhere you got those rings you have."
"Rings?" asked Bob. "Oh, those. A Chinaman back in San Francisco gavethem to us."
"Let me take a good look at them," said the stranger, whose name wasWalker.
He examined the rings carefully for several minutes.
"Why?" asked Joe. "Is there anything wrong?"
"Wrong? Absolutely not," Walker said, straightening up with a nod."You fellows are most fortunate in possessing such rare pieces ofjewelry. Those rings once belonged to an emperor of China."
"What!" cried Bob, while Joe's eyes opened wide. "How do you knowthis?"
"By the inscriptions that are on them," Walker returned at once.
"Inscriptions?" Bob looked baffled. "Can you read those?"
"Most assuredly," was the answer. "I can speak and read sevenlanguages. Chinese is one of them."
At once the youths were all excitement.
"But," began Bob, when the hubbub of chattering had subsided, "Ithought China was a republic with a president. Then how do you explainthis emperor stuff?"
"At one time China was an absolute monarchy, governed by rulers,"Walker told them. "The rings, unless they were faked--and I do notthink they were--were once the property of one of the emperors."
"Then--that explains everything," murmured Joe.
"How is that?" inquired Walker, very much interested.
Joe told him how much the rings were desired by numerous Chinamen.
"I shouldn't wonder that they are coveted, considering their worth,"the man said when Joe had finished. "Chinese especially would prizethem very highly."
The chums sought out their fathers and told them the good news.
"That puts a glorious climax to everything," said Mr. Holton. "Withthis ring mystery cleared up, you can feel much better."
"But there were others that we weren't able to solve," remarked Bob.
"What do you mean?" inquired Joe.
"Those in the Forest of Mystery," returned Bob.
THE END
BIBLIOGRAPHY
_Africa Speaks_, by Hoefler. The John C. Winston Co., Chicago.
_Big Game Hunting and Collecting in East Africa_, by Kitterberger. Longmans, Green & Co., New York.
_Animal Life in Africa_, by Stevenson-Hamilton. E. P. Dutton & Co., New York.
_African Game Trails_, by Theodore Roosevelt. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
_Camera Trails in Africa_, by Johnson. Grosset & Dunlap, New York.
Wood's _Natural History_. A. L. Burt Co., New York.
_Africa View_, by Huxley. Harper & Brothers, New York.
_Natural History Animals_, by Jennison. The Macmillan Company, New York.
_The New Natural History_, by Thompson. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York.
* * * * * *
Transcriber's note:
The four books in this series have been transcribed in the samemanner. This means that in some books, table of contents and or/listof series names have been added.
Except in cases of obvious typographical errors, archaic andinconsistent spelling has been retained.
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