“You know one of them?”
“Yes, sir; he’s been to see me twiced.”
“Are you dreaming, Pete?”
“Yes, sir—with my eyes open. I have thought it all out. I want to get him here some night, and then break a way out and get you on him—I knows how to ride like a mahout—and I’ll make him take us to headquarters. What do you say to that?”
“Say to that, Pete!”
“Ah! don’t you get talking like an unbelieving heathen, sir. You don’t know what a lot of sense there is in one of these ’ere helephants. Once I get you on board—I don’t suppose there would be a howdah, but you could hold on to his ropes—I’ve got a spear to guide him, though he wouldn’t want no steering once I got him into one of those paths. They all lead to one or other of the campongs, and if we don’t get into the right one at first we will try again.”
Archie sighed.
“Ah, you think I can’t do it, sir; and you are low-sperrited because you ain’t strong enough.”
“It all sounds so wild, Pete,” said Archie faintly.
“Course it do, sir. Helephants ain’t horses.”