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The man who had taken this risk was their friend Umbashi, and as Billy thanked him he felt a feeling of real respect for this half naked savage who had risked his life to save another's. After two or three more charges the animal seemed to get tired of this method of attack and stood beneath the tree shaking with rage, very much like a bull that has driven a boy to refuge in an apple-tree.
It sounded almost like the regular beat of a large drum. The air seemed to vibrate with it. He leader of the party spoke a few words rapidly to the others and they all joined in a responsive shout which seemed to be one of assent to some proposition that had been made by him. "He say elephant dance," said Umbashi; "him very dangerous when dance. He ask them they willing to go on.
"Quick! glass-eyes, your escape has been discovered; you haven't a moment to lose!" cried Umbashi. It was only too evident that he spoke the truth. The roar of the searchers' angry voices was rapidly ringing louder. "Take this, white boys, and defend yourselves to the death rather than be recaptured," said their friend as he thrust a stone knife into Billy's hand.
It seemed as if they had struck a land in which the inhabitants lived an ideal life, surrounded as they were by every comfort and necessity that one could imagine; but that even they were distressed by the raids of enemies transpired when the boys' guide, whose name they had learned by this time was Umbashi, pointed to the west in which the setting sun was now kindling a ruddy glow and said: "Sometime elephant come then much trouble."
Their slumber senses carried them back to New York and Billy was in the midst of escorting Umbashi in full war paint through the office of the New York Planet, followed by hordes of joshing reporters and inquisitive office boys, who wanted to know whether he'd match his dusky friend to fight Jim Jeffries, when he was awakened by Umbashi himself, who in a few words told him it was morning and time to get up and dress swiftly, as the King of the Flying Men wanted to see him and his young companion at once.
Then, as cautiously as though stepping on eggs, they tiptoed out into the passage after extinguishing the torch and the next minute were startled to be suddenly halted by a form that ran right into them in the blackness. The next minute, however, their anxiety was relieved. It was Umbashi who had collided with them and accompanying him was Aga, the man who killed the rogue elephant.
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