140 IN BRIGHTEST AFRICA 
was just about exhausted; and the gun-bearer, a big 
husky fellow, had fallen by the wayside. Bill had 
left him some five miles back in the forest on the trail. 
Evidently Bill considered my elephant guns of more 
importance than one black gun boy, as, for fear that 
something would happen to the rifles, he had lugged 
both of the heavy guns into camp, leaving the boy 
with nothing but his knife with which to protect him- 
self. I felt, however, that there was little danger 
to the gun boy except from exposure, and against 
that he no doubt had built a fire. I could think of 
nothing to do until daylight. A half hour later some 
commotion in camp caused me to send for the head- 
man, but Bill came instead. I asked him what was 
doing, and he said that he had had trouble in getting 
some of the boys to go with him. “Go where?” 
I asked. He replied that he was going back to the 
gun boy with food. Then I came to. I sent for the 
headman and askaris, told Bill to describe to them 
the gun boy’s location, and told them they were to 
go to his relief, and Bill that he was to go to bed. 
This he finally did, after using up what remaining 
strength he had in protest. The elephant was not 
located. 
About a year and a half later, after we had returned 
to the States, Bill went back into his home country 
and began to search for the wounded elephant. He 
must have done some very clever detective work, for 
he finally located the native who had found the dead 
elephant. This native had secured the tusks, and 
had sold one of them to an Indian trader; but the 
