WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



on which I had had dry clothes. My companion, 

 Brackenbury, decided to return to our base camp ; 

 but as I was most anxious to secure some good studies 

 of the birds flying in and out, I arranged for him to 

 send me back some food and blankets. As soon as 

 he had gone I took up my quarters in a little shelter 

 near the mouth of the upper cave. Just by this was 

 a hole, which the boys gave me to understand led 

 down into the great cave below. More or less idly 

 I picked up a large stone and dropped it down the 

 hole. The effect was amazing. There was a rumble 

 like thunder from the cavern, and a moment later the 

 birds and bats came out literally in thousands. I 

 had known, of course, that there must be immense 

 numbers of them, but I had never expected to see so 

 many at one time. It made me wonder what would 

 have been the effect of a gun-shot inside the cave. 



After sunset the night animals began to awaken. 

 From the entrance of the cave hundreds of huge bats 

 issued. A little way up the hillside a group of monkeys 

 started to make the weirdest noises I had ever heard. 

 About midnight I was awakened suddenly. One of the 

 boys grabbed his companion, and with fear in his 

 voice pointed at some object just outside on the sky- 

 line. Personally I could see nothing, though a series 

 of extraordinary grunts and the absolute terror of my 

 followers proved that a large and objectionable beast 

 was uncomfortably near us. Still, the visitor, whoever 



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