Elephant Adventure by Willard Price

Author:Willard Price [Price, Willard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-10-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

The chiefs son

The boy called Bo stepped out of the crowd. He was a handsome lad, about Roger’s own age. His skin was a rich golden brown. His face had the fine Watussi look, his eyes were eager and his smile was open and pleasant Roger liked him at once.

‘Do you speak English?’

‘I try. My father teach me some.’

‘May we use your raft?’

‘Of course. You wish to go out on the lake? I will take you.’

‘Perhaps later. I’d like to go with you. That would be fun. But just now I want to see if your raft will help my elephant.’

Perhaps Bo did not quite understand how a raft could help an elephant - but he at once ordered some of the Watussi to bring the raft, They obeyed him as promptly and cheerfully as if be had been the chief himself. Evidently the tall folk were very fond of this boy and respected him. He would be the chief when his father died and he would make a good chief.

Six men came carrying the raft. Roger had them place it crosswise under the elephant

Hal could not understand what his kid brother was up to. But he was wise enough to let the boy work things out in his own way. It did look pretty crazy - an elephant on a raft!

Roger and his willing helper. Bo, tied a rope to each corner of the raft While some of the men held the raft up tight against the elephant’s stomach, Roger tied the four ropes together on Big Boy’s back. The little elephant didn’t know what to make of all this. He made angry rushes at some of the men. Anyone who came near him was apt to get poked with a sharp tusk.

Anyone except Roger, and Bo. He seemed to accept Bo as a friend. The chiefs son quietened him by petting his head and trunk while the ropes were being knotted together across the animal’s backbone.

Next Roger called for a tow chain. It was the same sort of chain that had been broken by the big elephant the day before. But it should be strong enough to handle this little half-tonner.

He snapped the end of the chain to the knot on the elephant’s back. Then he looked up, and now for the first time Hal guessed what was on his mind. Above his head was the heavy branch of a big tree.

Roger climbed on Big Boy’s back and passed the free end of the chain over the branch. Bo caught the end and drew it down until the chain was tight.

‘Fantastic!’ Hal muttered to himself. ‘What kids will think off

Roger called the strongest of his safari men and had them lay hold of the loose end of the chain and pull down. This should pull the raft up hard against the baby’s ballooned stomach. If they pulled hard enough the little animal would be lifted from the ground. So it would be just like a human baby across its mother’s shoulder - but os a large scale.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.