“WE’LL hit it, sure!” cried Joe, rapidly losing his nerve as he gazed fearfully ahead. “Oh, I guess this is the end!”

Already the shrill whistle of the locomotive was shattering the silence. But even the loud warning was futile. The elephant remained where it was, not as much as moving an ear.

Bob and Joe and their fathers were gripped with fear as they saw themselves speed closer toward the huge brute. Let them once strike the animal, and their doom would probably be sealed!

The explorers heard a wild shout from the engineer. Then there was a creaking and grinding noise, and the train’s speed was checked somewhat. But even with the application of the emergency brake the heavy engine plunged on.

“Jump!” cried Mr. Lewis in a wild voice. “It’s the only way to escape!”

Obeying the command at once, Bob and Joe watched their chance and leaped far over to the left of the train, while their fathers went to the right. The train was not traveling rapidly, and so there was no danger of injuring themselves.

The youths rolled over on the soft ground, not receiving as much as a scratch.

“Look, Joe! Look!” yelled Bob.

The locomotive slid on and with a tremendous crash struck the massive elephant. The impact knocked the front trucks of the engine completely off the track, while the huge beast went to the ground with a resounding thud.

The force of the collision literally brought the train to a complete stop. But the scene of the mishap was one of frenzied disorder.

Kicking and trumpeting horribly, the elephant vainly tried to get to its feet. But, despite its frantic efforts, it could not do so. Apparently it had been injured severely.

Mr. Holton ran around to the youths, followed by Joe’s father.

“Boys! Are you all right?” the latter asked anxiously.

“Yes,” Bob reassured him. “But, say, that was a whale of a smash-up, wasn’t it?”

“The elephant appears to be mortally wounded,” Mr. Lewis said, with a shake of his head. “It seems only humane to put it out of its misery.”

He unstrapped his rifle and took aim at the animal’s heart. A moment later he pulled the trigger.

The naturalist never fired a more accurate shot. With a horrible groan, the great beast collapsed into a heap—dead. The high-velocity bullet, following its previous injury, finished it instantly.

Long before, the engineer and fireman of the locomotive had joined the explorers and were viewing the scene with a terrible awe.

“We’re in a fine mess,” groaned Bob, directing his gaze at the dead elephant.

“Mess is right, fellow,” came from the engineer. “It’s up to me now to get word back to Mombasa to send out a relief train. We’re in luck, too. There’s a station only a short distance up the track.”

He left the others and hurried ahead, intent upon telegraphing as soon as possible.

In less than an hour he was back, and announced that another train would arrive from Nairobi, a city less than sixty miles away. Relief was expected inside of three hours.

“While we’re waiting,” said Bob, speaking to his chum, “suppose we take a short jaunt into the surrounding country. We ought to see plenty of interest.”

“Be careful, boys,” warned Mr. Holton. “And remember. Don’t shoot any animal unless, of course, you have to. This is a game preserve, you know.”

Delighted at such a chance, the youths strode off through the high grass, keeping their eyes ready to single out anything of interest.

Almost at every step they saw some strange and interesting creature. Birds of brilliant plumage flew overhead, large herds of sleek, agile antelopes coursed across the plain, and at one time the boys caught a glimpse of a buffalo.

“Strange that there aren’t any lions,” mused Joe. “Where there’s so much of everything else, looks like there ought to be at least a few.”

“I suppose they keep their distance,” said Bob. “Been hunted so much, maybe.”

In little over two hours, Bob and Joe returned to the train, to find their fathers sitting on the cowcatcher of the engine.

“What did you see?” Mr. Lewis inquired drowsily.

“Plenty,” answered Bob. “There’s about every kind of animal imaginable in this region. But we weren’t able to stir up a lion.”

“I don’t wonder,” Mr. Holton said. “The king of beasts is keeping his distance at present.”

“What do you mean, ‘at present’?” inquired Joe.

“The natives around here have been up in arms against lions,” Mr. Holton explained. “You see, the fact that this is a protectorate has made the lions very bold, and so the natives have taken steps to kill off a few that have been causing the most trouble. It seems——”

He was interrupted by the sound of a distant locomotive whistle and peered up the track expectantly. Undoubtedly this was the relief train, and that was what the two naturalists desired above all else just at this time. For every moment of delay was maddening to them.

At last the train came in sight and in a short time had stopped not far from the dead elephant. The engine was in the rear of a flat car on which was a huge crane.

“Now for the fun,” smiled Joe, looking doubtfully at the crane. “Looks to me like it would take more than one of those things to move that elephant.”

But much to Joe’s surprise the crane proved very effective, lifting the elephant slowly but surely off the track. It was also used just as effectively to place the front truck of the engine back on the rails.

“All over,” laughed Bob, placing the motion-picture camera back in his pocket. “I took some movies of that, too. Ought to be plenty good.” He climbed back on the cowcatcher of the locomotive.

“I don’t know whether it will be safe to sit there, Bob,” said his father. “We might strike another animal.”

“Ah, gee, Dad,” came from Bob pleadingly. “This is a wonderful place to watch the scenery.”

The engineer came to his rescue.

“You don’t need to fear anything more happening,” he told Mr. Holton. “This elephant smash-up was the first to bother us this year. Go ahead and sit on the cowcatcher.”

The naturalist took hope from the trainman’s words and decided to risk it. For, if the truth be known, he and Mr. Lewis were as anxious as the boys to ride at the front of the locomotive.

Ten minutes later they were speeding along toward Lake Victoria, following the wrecking train.

Nothing more happened until they reached Nairobi, the halfway point on the way to the lake. Here their journey aboard this train came to an end, and they were forced to wait for another.

The next morning they were again on their journey, this time aboard another train, the engine of which did not have the convenient cowcatcher seat. But Bob and Joe didn’t mind. They became so absorbed in the unusual sights about them that they completely forgot it.

A short distance from Nairobi they got their first glimpse of really primitive natives. A group of blacks, led by one big fellow who was undoubtedly the chief, waved a friendly greeting as the train passed.

“Did you notice their teeth?” asked Joe, when the natives had been left behind.

“Yeah. They were filed to sharp points. And did you see their hair?”

“Hair? That’s a good one,” laughed Joe. “They didn’t have any. Was every bit shaved off.”

At last the train entered a region of misty rain forests. Occasional mountains became visible, their peaks towering into the distant skies.

The time passed slowly but brought much of interest. Then one day the explorers found themselves in Port Bell, at the edge of famed Lake Victoria.

Bob and Joe went with their fathers down to the water’s edge to get a glimpse of the lake.

Then their eyes almost burst from their heads.