CHAPTER XVIII 



TREED BY AN ELEPHANT 



CRITTENDEN left London because he 

 had to. His creditors pushed him so 

 vigorously that they made him uncom- 

 fortable, and, as his bank account was exhausted 

 because of his extravagant mode of living, he 

 sneaked up into Yorkshire and took a position 

 as bookkeeper. 



"I simply made up my mind," he said, "that 

 home was no place for me until my debts were 

 paid, and, as my creditors still kept nagging me, 

 I remained in my new position just long enough 

 to lay by a few pounds and then booked on a 

 steamer for British East Africa and drifted up 

 here into the Congo to hunt ivory." 



"How long have you been here?" I inquired. 



"Not quite a year, and I'm going to stick it 

 out until my pile has been made and I can go 

 back and pay up." 



"But isn't there some risk of your creditors 



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