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Page 65
"Not until we get some more ivory," declared Mr. Durban. "I think
we'll have to have another elephant hunt."
They did, about a week later, and got some magnificent tusks. Tom's
electric rifle did great work, to the wonder of Andy and Mr.
Landbacher, who had never before seen such a curious weapon. They
also did some night hunting.
"But we haven't got that pair of extra large tusks that I want,"
said the old hunter, as he looked at the store of ivory accumulated
after the last hunt. "I want those, and then I'll be satisfied.
There is one section of the country that we have not touched as yet,
and I'd like to visit that."
"Then let's go," proposed Tom, so, good-bys having been said to the
missionaries, who sent greetings to their friends in America, and to
the church people who had arranged for their rescue, the airship was
once more sent to the deepest part of a certain jungle, where Mr.
Durban hoped to get what he wanted.
They had another big hunt, but none of the elephants had any
remarkable tusks, and the hunter was about to give up in despair,
and call the expedition over, when one afternoon, as they were
sailing along high enough to merely clear the tops of the trees, Tom
heard a great crashing down below.
"There's something there," he called to Mr. Durban. "Perhaps a small
herd of elephants. Shall we go down?"
Before Mr. Durban could answer there came into view, in a small
clearing, an elephant of such size, and with such an enormous pair
of tusks, that the young inventor and the old hunter could not
repress cries of astonishment.
"There's your beast!" said Tom. "I'll go down and you can pot him,"
and, as he spoke, Tom stopped the propellers, so that the ship hung
motionless in the air above where the gigantic brute was.
Suddenly, as though possessed by a fit of rage, the elephant rushed
at a good-sized tree and began butting it with his head. Then,
winding his trunk around it he pulled it up by the roots, and began
trampling on it out of a paroxysm of anger.
"A rogue elephant!" exclaimed Mr. Durban. "Don't go down if you
value your life, or the safety of the airship. If we attacked that
brute on the ground, we would be the hunted instead of the hunters.
That's a rogue elephant of the worst kind, and he's at the height of
his rage."
This was indeed so, for the beast was tearing about the clearing
like mad, breaking off trees, and uprooting them in sheer
vantonness. Tom knew what a "rogue" elephant was. It is a beazt that
goes away from the herd, and lives solitary and alone, attacking
every living thing that comes in his way. It is a species of
masness, a disease which attacks elephants and sometimes passes
away. More often the afflicted creature gives battle to everything
and every animal he meets until he is killed or carried off by his
malady. It was sueh an elephant that Tom now saw, and he realized
what the hunter said about attacking one, as he saw the brute's mad
rushes.
"Well, if it's dangerous to attack him on the ground, we'll kill him
from up above," said the young inventor. "Here is the electric
rifle, Mr. Durban. I'll let you have the honor of getting those
tusks. My! But they're whoppers! Better use almost a full charge.
Don't take any chances on merely wounding him, and having him rush
off to the jungle."
"I won't," said the old hunter, and he adjusted the electric rifle
which Tom handed him.
As the great beast was tearing around, trumpeting shrilly and
breaking off trees Mr. Durban fired. The creature sank down,
instantly killed, and was out of his misery, for often it is great
pain which makes an otherwise peaceable elephant become a "rogue."
"He's done for," said Ned. "I guess you have the tusks you want now,
Mr. Durban."
"I think so," agreed the hunter, and when the airship was sent down,
and the ivory cut out, it was found that the tusks were even larger
than they had supposed. "It is a prize worth having," said Mr.
Durban. "I'm sure my customer will think so, too. Now I'm ready to
head for the coast."
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