38 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



tent front the smoke could be plainly seen belch- 

 ing into the horizon. 



It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. 

 I was busy in my tent making up specimens and 

 the colonel was at work on his book, "African 

 Game Trails." Far off in the distance my ear 

 suddenly caught a faint, rumbling sound. I 

 dropped my tools, walked out back of the tents, 

 mounted an ant-hill, and stood gazing and 

 listening. 



The fire was coming into camp; there was no 

 doubt of it; for far off to the northward came 

 the ominous sound a deep, rumbling noise that 

 at times sounded like the roar of a distant 

 waterfall mingled now and then with a faint 

 explosion. A great cloud of smoke rolled up 

 over the vegetation and drifted off to the west, 

 partly obscuring the sun and giving it the ap- 

 pearance of a huge ball of fire. I hurried back 

 to the colonel's tent. 



" Colonel, the fire is surely coming into camp, 

 you can already hear it," I said. 



The colonel stopped writing and listened. 



"By George, that's so. We must get busy at 

 once or our valuable collection and camp outfit 

 will be in ashes before the day closes. Get all 



