THE COLONEL KILLS THREE ELEPHANTS 149 



from some section of the compass. A distant shot 

 came in answer and he pushed on and soon came up 

 with the colonel and Tarlton returning home after 

 a night in the temporary elephant camp. The 

 colonel gave him full directions and at nine o'clock 

 the relief party arrived at their destination. 



In the meantime we, Mrs. Akeley, Stephen- 

 son and myself, had left our camp on the river 

 at six-fifteen, gone to the Roosevelt camp, and 

 with Kermit guiding us proceeded on across 

 country toward the elephant camp. On our way we 

 also met the colonel and Tarlton, the former im- 

 mensely pleased with the outcome of the hunt and 

 full of enthusiasm about the adventure with the 

 elephants. But the most remarkable thing of all, 

 he said, w r as the hyena incident. He told us the 

 story, and it is surely one that will make all nature 

 fakers sit up in an incredulous and dissenting 

 mood. 



During the night, the story goes, many hyenas 

 had come from far and near to gorge on the car- 

 casses of the elephants. Their howls filled the night 

 with weird sounds. Lions also journeyed to the 

 feast, and between the two they mumbled the bones 

 of the slain with many a howl and snarl. Early in 

 the morning the colonel went out in the hope of sur- 

 prising a lion at the spread. Instead, to his great 

 amazement, he saw the head of a hyena protruding 

 from the distended side of the largest elephant. 

 It was inside the elephant and was looking out, as 

 through a window. A single shot finished the 



