Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 154 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ee —_—_— aerery and nursed it, as if it was a baby he was proud of. Now that the boys could see them clearly, they proved noble-looking fellows, active and graceful as cats and very handsome. They wore their hair very long, and elaborately oiled and curled. It was carefully kept out of their eyes by a leathern band round the forehead,and came down their backs, almost to the ground, when they sat down. Hassan had a splendid black beard, but the rest were young men, whose beards were just beginning ~ — in fact boys, of the same ages as our three ends. Manuel was very much interested with them at me These wild Arabs behaved with as much politeness as if they had been princes, and did not commit a single rude act. They never interrupted any one speaking, and if they were asked a ques- tion, always answered politely. Manuel was the best Arabic scholar of the party, being the oldest and the dragoman was always by to help them, if there was a word they did not understand. Abou Hassan turned out to be one of the crack hunters of the Hamrau tribe, and, with his young brothers, was just about starting onatrip. Hear- ing that the white party was in the country, he had come to offer them his services, to hunt, and to find game for them. ‘But how do you go out hunting?’ asked Manuel. ‘* What kind of game do you hunt?” “ Everything,” said the Arab, gravely, “from an elephant to an antelope.”’ “ ‘* And what do you kill a lion with?” asked Tom whose mind was bent on killing one of the royal beasts. : Abou Hassan smiled, and patted the sword in his arms. ** With this,’’ he said, quietly. fear the best lion in the prow’ s in the open fields, but we can do forest.” ‘‘And what do you kill an elephant with?” asked Manuel, ‘* With this,’’ replied Abou Hassan, again patting the sword affectionately. ‘* What, kill an ele hant with asword? Why, how “We four do not if we catch him nothing in the many of you get at : ‘We four,’ responded Abou Hassan, shrugging his shoulders, ‘‘ Sometimes we do it with only two but four are safest. More are only in the way of each other,”’ ‘* Do you know where we can find any elephants?” asked Jack Curtis. ‘‘We have marked a herd about three hours’ ride from here,’ replied the Sword Hunter. “If m white brothers will go to-morrow, they shall see how the sons of Hamrau hunt the elephant. The boys were delighted with this news, soon made arrangements with the four Arabs, by which the latter were to find them all the game they | $$$ The Sword Hunters. ee than we think they do. If not, we'll show them,” | was Tom’s reply. ; Abou | ———a They | wanted, stay with them as long as they were in the | country, and hunt for them, and were to receive for their services half of the game, the tusks of all ele- phants killed, except what fell by the white hunters’ rifles, and a horse apiece at the end of their term of services. And the next morning they agreed to show the boys a herd of wild elephants. CHAPTER VL. THE HERD. Lone before sunrise, next morning, Manuel was awakened by a touch on his shoulder, Looking up, he beheld the grave, handsome face of Abou Hassan. The Arab hee oie sword hugerd to his breast as usual, and his finger on ps. ‘Make no noise, white brother,” he said, in a low tone, ‘‘ Blephants are near us, come to drink at the pool. Time to be off before they get to the forest.” Manuel jumped up and shook himself. In those wild countries people always sleep in their clothes, so he was pee be a minute. He picked up his rifle and cartridge- and sallied out. Abou Hassan was gone, and when the boyS came out they heard him rousing the grooms, and bidding them get their masters’ horses ready, .They found the three youn Sword Hunters standing silently by the heads o their horses, and watching the 1. It was ey 4 dark. The moon was already half-set,and the sun was still behind the distant ae Only the stars looked twinkling down over- ead, . At the end of the pool, on the side toward the open country, they could hear a distant apieshing, different from the hippopotami, as if some large an- imals were bathing in the water. The experienced Sword Hunters knew that the noise proceeded from elephants, and said so. Presently Abou n came back, with the grooms, leading the horses of our yo hunters. ey were all handsome horses, small and compact, of the country breed, coming from the Arab, Abou Hassan gave a silent signal, and they all mounted and rode aw camp, at a slow pace. hykes behind, and rode pn naked, with their swords ready under the left leg. To keep them from slipping and swinging, they were hung to the : | saddle-bow by a little strap, and two stiff pieces of | leather were sewed on the scabbards, sticking out, one above, and the other below, the rider's leg. this way they rode off. The boys could believe it possible that these men were going out to hunt a herd of elephants, with nothing but a little sword, Jack Curtis thought of his own experience with a sword in the fight with the Indians, and mut- tered to Bullard: ‘* Those fellows can’t do anything, Tom, We shall have to shoot the elephants,’ *T of’a weit and see. y Maybe they know more | **Hush!” whispered Manuel. “Trust to them. They know more than we do about their game.” Abou Hassan turned and made a gesture for si- lence, and the party rode out of the river bed up the further bank. They chose a place where a little stream entered the river, now dried up, leaving a steep channel to the rising country. On this side of the river there was no cover, for some miles, and the elephants would have to cross an open plain, before they reached any wood. hile they were in the torrent bed, the hunters were protected from view of their game, and by great good luck the wind was blowing from the ele- ees toward them. If it had not been, they would ave been compelled to go many miles round, for an elephant can scent a human being many miles off, if he be to windward. As they went slowly on, they could hear the ele- — still splashing in the water, and when the ad gone about a mile, the sky an to flush wit a bright crimson glow. Presently the sun rose, and they could see that they were not far from the head of the torrent bed. But Abou Hassan did not go that far. As soon as the sun rose, he turned his horse to the left, and climbed the bank, calling to the others to follow him. They did so, and in a moment more beheld the object of all their hopes plainly before them. A smooth slope stretched down to the river, cov- ered with long grass, dried up by the fierce summer heats. Coming up the slo m the ay. lazily swinging their trunks to and fro, was a herd of some twenty elephants, led by an old bull, with tusks as white as snow, and of enormous size. There were two other bulls, with tusks nearly as large, a number of female elephants with shorter ones, and five or six little baby wee Come without any, but trotting along by their mothers’ sides, playing, with clumsy antics. The elephants saw the hunters just about as soon as they saw theelephanis, andthe whole herd fell into confusion at once, Thefemale elephants threw up their trunks with ashrill trumpeting, and ran back to the Is, with their little ones, while the three bulls, led by the stately old patriarch of the herd, stalked solemnly toward the strangers, as if to cover the retreat. **“Come on, boys!’’shouted Bullard. ‘‘Now’s your pee for tusks. Let’s show the niggers how to unt.’ And he was dashing forward, when Manue) re- strained him. **Don’t go, Tom,’ he protested, “Let the Arabs go to work. I want to see what they'll do.” And he repeated his wish in Arabic to Abou Has- san. ‘““My white brother shall see,”’ said the Arab, avely. ‘*The elephants are coming to charge us, mut there are too many for the sword. Let my brothers come forward with us slowly, and fire at the two little bulls. They will run away, but the old one will charge fiercely. Then let my brothers stand side, and leave us to deal with him,”’ ** That's fair,’ said Curtis. ‘‘ We can’t expect four men, with nothing but swords, to attack three ele- phants together.’ “Let’s go forward, then,’ said Manuel. ‘‘ When you fire, aim at the beasts’ foreheads. Perbaps we shall kill them both.” | The seven horsemen. accordingly walked. their ens sewers the. Dg peg which, on their part, quicken throw wu their trunks, endl roar fiercely. +N . Abou Hassan remarked that they hed never beeu hunted before, or they would not be_ so fierce: an. he was right. No white men or guns had evér been there before, in all probability, and the Ha: seldom attack herds. They prefer solitary ele old bulls with wicked tempers, which have ayy the herd in d t. Such bulls are called in India “rogue elepbants,’’ and the Hamraus know that they have the largest tusks; which will sell for most money, which is what they hunt elephants for. A ood pair of tusks will be worth a hundred and fifty ollars, which will buy a good horse and a gun and many other things in Africa, So the Hamraus, who have nothing but swords, wisely pick out single ele- phants whenever they can find them, although such always fight very hard. _ Now, as the boys went forward, they noticed the difference in the character of the elephants. The nearer they came the fiercer the old fellow grew while the young ones began to dro behind and show of backi in full flight up the river, when Abou Hassan cried: ‘* Now, white brothers, drive off the children, and we will kill the father.” : ! : | : | ; The boys drew up and took deliberate aim, Bull- ' ard took the left-hand of em and sent a ball right into the pee he aimed, the center of its forehead. But the never dropped. On the contrary, he ut- round the back of the | tered a shrill scream, wheeled round, and made off, e Arabs had left their long | full speed after the herd, asif he was only fright- ened. 4 Manuel and Jack hit the other young bull, one in the top of the forehead, the other in the trunk. The first bullet glanced off, and the second brought a stream of blood. As Abou Hassan had icted | ; | re Y — $$ dashed in their spurs and went off to meet him, as swift as so many birds on the wing, their horses a ad to enjoy the fun, and the riders yelling wildly. Aa thes neared the elephant, out flashed their swords, and they all scattered around the beast, and attacked him fiercely. CHAPTER VII. KILLING AN ELEPHANT WITH A SWORD. Ir was a splendid sight to see Abou Hassan and his brothers attacking the old bull with no weapon but their swords, and seemed tothe boys perfect madness. But, when they saw the way the sword hunters went to work, they altered their opinion. As the Arabs came near the elephant, the-whole four scattered, on either side, so as to juzzle ‘the creature which to attack. Abou Hassan swept past on the right, two of his brothers on the left, while the youngest, Selim, who was a slim boy of light weight, went almost up to the animal's nose’ before he turned. When he did turn he was not twenty feet from the old bull. This seemed to decide the ele- phant, who had stopped, and was pawing the earth, and trumpeting fiercely, with uplifted trunk. e old fellow gave a scream of rage, and ‘“went’’ for Selim like a mad creature. Away galloped the boy, before the elephant, with the beast’s trunk hanging almost over the horse’s tail, but in a very few jumps the rider began to gain upon him. Then Jack Curtis uttered an exclamation of won- der, for Selim actually began to pull ai his horse, and kt the dephant catch up, so that it seemed every mo- ment as if the boy must be captured, as he looked back over his shoulder, and shouted at the elephant, exciting the beast to tenfold fury. But, while Selim was leading on the old bull in the delusive chase, the rest of the Hamraus were not idle. As soon as they were past the elephant, they all turned round like lightning, and came tearing up behind at full speed. Abou Hassan wus the first close to the bull’s hind4teg. Then the active chief suddenly leaped out 6f his saddle, going at full speed as he was, ran three or four steps on the ground, with his sword lifted in both hands, and madea tremendous blow at the elephant’s hind-leg, just above the heel. The boys could see the whole operation perfectly, for Selim was leading the elephant across their front. They saw a great red gash, two feet long, appear in the huge hind-leg, and heard a loud crack asthe back sinews parted. At the same instant the elephant stoy ped as if it had been shot, and remeain- ed Banging utterly unable to move. Selim pulied up and allthe hunters fave a shout together. Tre elephant’s foot was turned up in front just liké au old shoe, and the beast was disabled, There it stood, roaring, and lashing its trunk to and fro, holding up the wounded leg, and standing on the other three. . Then young Selim walked his horse back towr rd the bull, and stocped from his saddle to the preund, whence he Beats up some dirt and threw it at the elephant. This insult enraged the old fellow so much that he tried to put down his foot and hop for- ward on three legs, to punish the saucy boy. But that was just what the Arabs wanted. Atou Hassan was watching his opportunity, and, just as the elephant strained to reach Selim, he ran forward and gave a mighty blow at the unwounded leg, opening a second awful gash, from whence the red blood spurted out all over the Arab. That finished the poor old bull. As the seccnd sinew parted, with a loud crack, he fell on hie krees, and remaired there, with the blood pouring fic the hind-legs like the stream from a pump. Abou Hassan stooped down and plucked some Cry prase, with which be carefully wiped bis sword cli an ,efore he did anything. en he took the |] ng leathern scabbard from his saddle-bow and vse: it on the edge of the sword, as if the blade had leeua razor. e boys could see him st rapping the wer} on With great care, feeling the edge with bis finrer. »:d going at it again as if he never would have it +1. rp enough. They rode down to see him nearer, and as they cic so the old bull tottered to and fro a moment. : nd came crashing down on his side, dead. Abou Fas- san had cut the arteries of both hind-legs, anc the elephant had bled to death from the wounds. «The boys were Shee ose tf Ogee with t)eir friends, the sword bunters, Jack Curtis, especi: ily, who was fond of the sword, and anxious to |}: ow how to use it, was delighted with the bettle, He ' came to Abou Hassan and begged for permissicn tc out. . The restof the herd was | see the blade which could make such cuts. The Arab showed it to him very politely, and told him t« feel the edge. Jack did so, and found that it was really and truly as sharp as a razor, for he cou!d cut a single hair in two by List striking it over the cdg: of the sword. ‘‘ And do you make these weapons yours: lcs? asked Jack, when he had admired the keen ec pv. ‘* No,” Abou Hassan said. **We get then. irom the traders, who bring them from overthe ser. My father bought this when he was a boy.” Jack looked at the weapon again very closely. H« thought it must be one of the famous Den r<°cu | blades he had read of. But no. They were all evi) ex away went the young feilow after his brother, in f ull | _aSimple cross hilt of iron, and on the bincc ° a flight. © Look out, fellows! Here comes the old man himself!’ cried Tom, hastily cramming in a fresh cartridge. ‘*Keep back, white brothers!’’ shouted Abou Has- san. ‘Our turn now.” And at the same minute the old elephant, with a furious roar, came tearing up the slope to attack tiem, while all fonr of the Arao Sword Hunters he remembered, like a sickle. This was © (on straight sword, that came as high as his breast. \ it stamped, in German text, Solte gen.” Then Jack remembered that he had often bh: arc of these Solingen swords es being of such food : tee “Adi m Sckmidt, f that you could cut _a cast-iron stove wit! on | without hurting the edge, and also remember: hai he had one himself, with a very handsome :.ee scabbard, EGOMmiGdoo (C Sa(GO)