Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/49

 I. But they would not have it so. Since I had an opinion and they had none, it was decided to take the right hand  path.

As we hurried on the jungle seemed to grow denser, yet the path remained clearly defined.

“I am becoming more and more convinced that we are going wrong,” said the Doctor, at length. “Look at that fan palm—I am certain we did not pass it. A beautiful specimen. I should have been sure to notice it particularly, but as it is I am ready to swear I never saw it before.”

“Shall we retrace our steps then?” I asked, for I had become less confident myself.

“Suppose we push on a little further,” said Maurice. “It seems to me I can distinguish an opening on ahead.”

“Which would go to prove that we are astray,” added the Doctor, “for we passed no clearing of any sort coming  down.”

“True; but it may be a native village where we could find a guide,” said I.

“Hark!” cried Maurice. “What was that? An elephant, surely!”

For an instant a shrill trumpeting resounded through the forest and then all grew still.

“Come on!” shouted Maurice, unslinging his rifle. “It has always been my ambition to bag an elephant and the  chance has come at last!”

We pushed on, advancing with as much caution as possible. Again the trumpeting was heard, and still again.

“An elephant it is beyond all question,” said Philpot, “but I'm afraid you can’t kill it, after all, Maurice.”

“Why not, I’d like to know! Do you mean to intimate that my shooting is so poor that I couldn’t hit a beast as big as the side of a house? ”

“Not at all,” laughed the Doctor. “I only mean to intimate that your elephant is a tame one. Look there!”

We had rounded a turn in the path now and saw directly ahead a large elephant, standing beneath a cocoa palm which formed one of a grove of similar trees surrounding a little collection of grass-thatched huts.

“A village!” I exclaimed. “This settles it. We are on the wrong road.”

“And it puts a finish to De Veber’s elephant hunt!” laughed the Doctor. “Why that beast is half blind and