aboard because they wanted to see what would happen next.
Reaching home, they helped unload boar and boa and put them in a cage. Hal said, ‘We’ve got to get that snake off before it kills the boar.’
The men pulled lustily but they could not budge the snake. Something must be done at once. The boar was dying.
Roger had an idea. He backed the truck up to the cage door. He tied one end of Hal’s lasso to the truck and put the noose at the other end over the snake’s head and drew it fast. Then he got into the truck and started the engine.
What men could not do, the engine did. Inch by inch, it pulled the snake free, and the beast could breathe again.
‘Do we keep the boa or let it go?’ Roger called.
‘Let it go.’ Hal said. ‘We don’t need a boa.’
Roger removed the noose from the boa’s neck and let the snake wind away through the forest.
Hal went to the barn-house to see whether Vic was alive or dead.
Vic was sufficiently alive to wail loudly about the trick that fate had played upon him. When he saw Hal he said. ‘I’ll get you for this. It’s the last trick you’ll ever play on me.’
‘Just what trick did I play on you?’
Vic mumbled and wept and went to sleep, probably dreaming about the terrible vengeance he was going to inflict on Hal Hunt.
Chapter 18
Midnight Monster
The headman of the village of Bahru dropped by to see the take-‘emalive men, Hal and Roger.
‘A rogue elephant is giving us a lot of trouble. It has trampled down our sweet potato crop, smashed some of our houses, and killed several of our people. Can you help us?’
‘What does he mean? What’s a rogue elephant?’ Roger asked his brother.
‘Once every year a bull elephant is likely to go ‘musth’.’
‘What is musth?’
‘It means wild, crazy. The elephant becomes savage. He tramples down the fields, kills the farmers’ pigs, kills any people he can reach, and makes himself a deadly nuisance. It lasts for a week or so. Usually he is all right after that. but you just can’t be sure.’
The headman said, ‘In a week or two we may all be dead. If anything is done it must be done right away.’
‘What time of day does he bother you?’
‘At night.’
‘All right. We’ll be on the job tonight.’
‘A thousand thanks. I know what you did for Gir Village. That is why I came to you.’ And the headman went home with the hope that the killing and destruction in his village would be stopped.
‘I don’t see how we can do anything with a crazy elephant.’ Roger said.
‘Let’s go and pick a good spot near the village. We’ll gather sticks and logs and pile them up so we can set them on fire about nine o’clock this evening. We’ll also build a boma - you know, a wall made of thorn bushes that we can hide behind and watch the animals that come out to see the fire. Just like humans, they are curious to see what is going on. Perhaps the rogue elephant will be curious too.’
‘But how are you going to tackle him if he comes?’
‘I don’t know. Perhaps he will tackle us. It’s a pretty dangerous business, and I’d like it better if you would stay home.’
‘Stay home, nothing 1 If you can stand it, I can,’ said Roger.
‘We’ll take along a chain and perhaps we can chain one of his feet to a tree.’
‘But he could pull down a tree.’
‘Not if it’s a big tree, and the chain is tied round the very bottom of the trunk.’
‘But we have an elephant - we don’t want another.’ objected Roger.
‘No, we don’t. Any ship’s captain would object to two six-ton monsters. One is all we can ask him to take.’
‘Well then.’ Roger said, ‘if we don’t get anything out of this, why do it?’
‘Just for the people in that village. But I think a lot of animals will show themselves. We might get one of them. Anyhow we’ll take a cage along. We seem to do pretty well with cats - so perhaps we can snare another cat. But whether we do or not, I’ll be satisfied if we can save
Reaching home, they helped unload boar and boa and put them in a cage. Hal said, ‘We’ve got to get that snake off before it kills the boar.’
The men pulled lustily but they could not budge the snake. Something must be done at once. The boar was dying.
Roger had an idea. He backed the truck up to the cage door. He tied one end of Hal’s lasso to the truck and put the noose at the other end over the snake’s head and drew it fast. Then he got into the truck and started the engine.
What men could not do, the engine did. Inch by inch, it pulled the snake free, and the beast could breathe again.
‘Do we keep the boa or let it go?’ Roger called.
‘Let it go.’ Hal said. ‘We don’t need a boa.’
Roger removed the noose from the boa’s neck and let the snake wind away through the forest.
Hal went to the barn-house to see whether Vic was alive or dead.
Vic was sufficiently alive to wail loudly about the trick that fate had played upon him. When he saw Hal he said. ‘I’ll get you for this. It’s the last trick you’ll ever play on me.’
‘Just what trick did I play on you?’
Vic mumbled and wept and went to sleep, probably dreaming about the terrible vengeance he was going to inflict on Hal Hunt.
Chapter 18
Midnight Monster
The headman of the village of Bahru dropped by to see the take-‘emalive men, Hal and Roger.
‘A rogue elephant is giving us a lot of trouble. It has trampled down our sweet potato crop, smashed some of our houses, and killed several of our people. Can you help us?’
‘What does he mean? What’s a rogue elephant?’ Roger asked his brother.
‘Once every year a bull elephant is likely to go ‘musth’.’
‘What is musth?’
‘It means wild, crazy. The elephant becomes savage. He tramples down the fields, kills the farmers’ pigs, kills any people he can reach, and makes himself a deadly nuisance. It lasts for a week or so. Usually he is all right after that. but you just can’t be sure.’
The headman said, ‘In a week or two we may all be dead. If anything is done it must be done right away.’
‘What time of day does he bother you?’
‘At night.’
‘All right. We’ll be on the job tonight.’
‘A thousand thanks. I know what you did for Gir Village. That is why I came to you.’ And the headman went home with the hope that the killing and destruction in his village would be stopped.
‘I don’t see how we can do anything with a crazy elephant.’ Roger said.
‘Let’s go and pick a good spot near the village. We’ll gather sticks and logs and pile them up so we can set them on fire about nine o’clock this evening. We’ll also build a boma - you know, a wall made of thorn bushes that we can hide behind and watch the animals that come out to see the fire. Just like humans, they are curious to see what is going on. Perhaps the rogue elephant will be curious too.’
‘But how are you going to tackle him if he comes?’
‘I don’t know. Perhaps he will tackle us. It’s a pretty dangerous business, and I’d like it better if you would stay home.’
‘Stay home, nothing 1 If you can stand it, I can,’ said Roger.
‘We’ll take along a chain and perhaps we can chain one of his feet to a tree.’
‘But he could pull down a tree.’
‘Not if it’s a big tree, and the chain is tied round the very bottom of the trunk.’
‘But we have an elephant - we don’t want another.’ objected Roger.
‘No, we don’t. Any ship’s captain would object to two six-ton monsters. One is all we can ask him to take.’
‘Well then.’ Roger said, ‘if we don’t get anything out of this, why do it?’
‘Just for the people in that village. But I think a lot of animals will show themselves. We might get one of them. Anyhow we’ll take a cage along. We seem to do pretty well with cats - so perhaps we can snare another cat. But whether we do or not, I’ll be satisfied if we can save
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