Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
Category: Nonfiction
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necessary only tofind some sort of elevation, well shaded, near some swift stream, andthere establish quarters and give the little one a few weeks' rest, andperhaps wait through the whole massica (the spring rainy season). Notevery girl could endure even one tenth of these hardships, but it isnecessary that she should rest! After such a night another girl wouldhave been stricken with fever and she--how soundly she sleeps!--ThankGod!"
And these thoughts brought him into a good humor; so looking down atNell's little head resting on his bosom, he said to himself merrily andat the same time with certain surprise:
"It is odd, however, how fond I am of this little fly! To tell thetruth, I always liked her, but now more and more."
And not knowing how to explain such a strange symptom he came to thefollowing conclusion:
"It is because we have passed together through so much and because sheis under my protection."
In the meantime he held that "fly" very carefully with his right handaround her waist in order that she should not slip from the saddle andbruise her little nose. They advanced slowly in silence; only Kalihummed under his nose--a song in praise of Stas.
"Great master kills Gebhr, kills a lion and a buffalo! Yah! Yah! Muchmeat! Much meat! Yah! Yah!"
"Kali," Stas asked in a low tone, "do the Wahimas hunt lions?"
"The Wahimas fear lions but the Wahimas dig pits and if in the nighttime the lion falls in, then the Wahimas laugh."
"What do you then do?"
"The Wahimas hurl lot of spears until lion is like a hedgehog. Thenthey pull him out of the pit and eat him. Lion is good." And accordingto his habit, he stroked his stomach.
Stas did not like this method of hunting; so he began to ask what othergame there was in the Wahima country and they conversed further aboutantelopes, ostriches, giraffes, and rhinoceroses until the roar of awaterfall reached them.
"What is that?" Stas exclaimed. "Are there a river and waterfall aheadof us?"
Kali nodded his head in sign that obviously such was the fact.
And for some time they rode more quickly, listening to the roar whicheach moment became more and more distinct.
"A waterfall!" repeated Stas, whose curiosity was aroused.
But they had barely passed one or two bends when their way was barredby an impassable obstruction.
Nell, whom the motion of the horse had lulled to sleep, awoke at once.
"Are we already stopping for the night?" she asked.
"No, but look! A rock closes the ravine."
"Then what shall we do?"
"It is impossible to slip beside it for it is too close there; so itwill be necessary that we turn back a little, get on top, and ridearound the obstruction; but it is yet two hours to night; therefore wehave plenty of time. Let us rest the horses a little. Do you hear thewaterfall?"
"I do."
"We will stop near it for the night."
After which he turned to Kali, ordered him to climb to the brink of theridge and see whether, beyond, the ravine was not filled with similarobstructions; he himself began to examine the rock carefully, and aftera while he exclaimed:
"It broke off and tumbled down not long ago. Nell, do you see thatfragment? Look how fresh it is. There is no moss on it, nor vegetation.I already understand, I understand!"
And with his hand he pointed at a baobab tree growing on the brink ofthe ravine whose huge roots hung over the wall and were parallel withthe fragment.
"That root grew in a crevice between the wall and the rock, and growingstronger, it finally split the rock. That is a singular matter forstone is harder than wood; I know, however, that in mountains thisoften happens. After that anything can shake such a stone which barelykeeps its place, and the stone falls off."
"But what could shake it?"
"It is hard to say. Maybe some former storm, perhaps yesterday's."
At this moment Saba, who previously had remained behind the caravan,came running up; he suddenly stood still as if pulled from behind bythe tail, scented; afterwards squeezed into the narrow passage betweenthe wall and the detached rock, but immediately began to retreat withbristling 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 previousday had taken extraordinary offense at lions, replied:
"A great thing. A lion in daylight!"
However, before he approached the passageway, Kali's voice resoundedfrom above:
"Bwana kubwa! Bwana kubwa!"
"What is it?" Stas asked.
The negro slid down the stalk of the climbing plant in the twinkling ofan eye. From his face it was easy to perceive that he brought someimportant news.
"An elephant!" he shouted.
"An elephant?"
"Yes," answered the young negro, waving his hands; "there thunderingwater, here a rock. The elephant cannot get out. Great master kill theelephant 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, inaddition rolling his eyes and displaying his white teeth.
Stas at first did not understand why Kali said that the elephant couldnot get out of the ravine. So, desiring to see what had happened, hemounted his horse and entrusting Nell to Mea in order to have his handsfree in an emergency, he ordered Kali to sit behind him; after whichthey all turned back and began to seek a place by which they couldreach the top. On the way Stas questioned him how the elephant got intosuch a place and from Kali's replies he ascertained more or less whathad happened.
The elephant evidently ran before the fire by way of the ravine duringthe burning of the jungle; on the way he forcibly bumped against aloosened 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 aprecipice below which a river ran, and in this manner was imprisoned.
After a while they discovered an outlet but so steep that it wasnecessary to dismount from the horses and lead them after. As the negroassured them that the river was very near they proceeded on foot. Theyfinally reached a promontory, bounded on one side by a river, on theother by the hollow, and glancing downward they beheld on the bottom ofa dell an elephant.
The huge beast was lying on its stomach and to Stas' great surprise didnot start up at the sight of them. Only when Saba came running to thebrink of the dell and began to bark furiously did he for a moment movehis enormous ears and raise his trunk, but he dropped it at once.
The children, holding hands, gazed long at him in silence, whichfinally was broken by Kali.
"He is dying of hunger," he exclaimed.
The elephant was really so emaciated that his spine protruded, hissides were shrunken, his ribs were distinctly outlined notwithstandingthe thickness of his hide, and it was easy to conjecture that he didnot rise because he did not now have sufficient strength.
The ravine, which was quite wide at its opening, changed into a dell,locked in on two sides by perpendicular rocks, and on its bottom a fewtrees grew. These trees were broken; their bark was peeled and on thebranches there was not a leaf. The climbing plants hanging from therocks were torn to pieces and gnawed, and the grass in the dell wascropped to the last blade.
Stas, examining the situation thoroughly, began to share hisobservations with Nell, but being impressed with the inevitable deathof the huge beast he spoke in a low tone as if he feared to disturb thelast moments of its life.
"Yes, he really is dying of starvation. He certainly has been confinedhere at least two weeks, that is, from the time when the old jungle wasburnt. He ate everything that there was to eat and now is enduringtorments; particularly as, here above, bread-fruit trees and acaciaswith great pods are growing, and he sees them but cannot reach them."
And for a while they again gazed in silence. The elephant from time totime turned towards them his small
, languid eyes and something in thenature of a gurgle escaped from his throat.
"Indeed," the boy declared, "it is best to cut short his pangs."
Saying this, he raised the rifle to his face, but Nell clutched hisjacket and, braced upon both of her little feet, began to pull him withall her strength away from the brink of the hollow.
"Stas! Don't do that! Stas, let us give him something to eat! He is sowretched! I don't want you to kill him! I don't want it! I don't!"
And stamping with her little feet, she did not cease pulling him, andhe looked at her with great astonishment and, seeing her eyes filledwith tears, said:
"But, Nell!--"
"I don't want it. I won't let him be killed! I shall get the fever ifyou kill him."
For Stas this threat was sufficient to make him