174 nrxTixG l\ the ji:x<;le. 



we took rapid counsel in regard to our attempted escape. 

 When the moment arrived Thursday said simply, — 



'' Give me your rifle, that you may be unmcumbered, 

 and follow me." 



Although I had observed with care the route over 

 which I knew we were to go, still, at night, I found I 

 was helpless except as Thursday led me like a child. 



Our companions began to sing and clap their hands to 

 drown any sound of our movements, and, as it was black 

 as Egypt, not even an owl could have seen us. The noise 

 was infernal, and the elephants replied with heavy, deep 

 grunts. 



I seized the branch, and began to crawl along it as 

 quietly as I could behind my guide. With the woods- 

 man's instinct he assisted me from tree to tree five times, 

 and then we rested to see if we had been followed. You 

 never heard such a racket as those negroes kept up, but 

 we felt confident from the elephants' replies that they 

 had not yet suspected our absence, and we renewed our 

 line of march over branches growing slighter and slighter, 

 until we felt that safety demanded our quitting them for 

 firmer footing. As we dropped to the ground, we knew 

 from the fainter sounds that we were at quite a respecta- 

 ble distance from our starting-point, even should the ele- 

 phants undertake to follow us. Cautiously we threaded 

 the dense forest, in darkness so complete I could hardly 

 see the indistinct outline of my guide two paces ahead of 

 me. After an hour's march we came at last to the edge 



