18 THE OUT -STATION ; OR, 



no doubt expressing their ardent desire to be straight- 

 way put in possession of a whistle apiece. 



Now to let them off unsatisfied, particularly as I 

 wanted to make use of their services, was not the 

 policy to be pursued ; so one fellow was presented 

 with my powder-flask (first securing its contents 

 myself) which he forthwith commenced trying to 

 whistle through, and is no doubt trying it on still. 



One of the "fair sex" had my neckerchief, and the 

 other my pocket-handkerchief, which, being of very 

 bright patterns, no doubt enthroned me in their 

 hearts for ever. 



This was paying rather dearly, however, " for our 

 whistle." 



One fellow, more importunate than the others, 

 finished the brandy flask, and got as drunk as an 

 owl ; and so after having received the most friendly 

 assurances from these foreign powers, I proceeded 

 to obtain all the information to be got out of them 

 relative to the locality of the elephants. 



Pointing to the tracks of these animals, which 

 every here and there were fresh, and then lost among 

 the grass and underwood, I made them understand 

 what I wanted ; and although I was more than once 

 nearly led into a personal quarrel with the old gentle- 

 man, owing to whether the whistle should be blown 

 or Dot during our search for the animals, they accom- 

 panied or rather guided us so far that a crash of 

 breaking branches gave notice that we were close on 



