[“The little hippo boy was being taken away”]
CHAPTER VII
CHUNKY’S NEW FRIENDS
Along through the jungle jogged the black men, carrying the cage with Chunky in it. Now and then the black men would sing a funny song. At least it would have sounded queer to you, for it was like a lot of coughs, sneezes, hiccoughs and giggles. But it was a song the men often sang as they marched, so the way would not seem so long, nor their burdens so heavy, and Chunky was quite a heavy load, let me tell you!
After a while the men stopped in the jungle, to make a fire and cook something to eat. Farther back, the other black hunters who had caught Chunky and sold him to the white man, were doing the same thing. They had found a deer, which one of them speared, and they cooked it.
The cage, with Chunky in it, was set down in the jungle, not far from the fire the men made to cook their meal. This was the first time the hippo had seen a blaze, and, for a time, he was frightened, as are all jungle animals at the sight of fire. But, after a bit, when Chunky found that the fire did not come near him, he was not so much afraid. But he was very hungry for some grass, and he wanted very much to swim in a lot of water, and wallow in the mud.
Pretty soon, when it had grown dark in the jungle, and the black men were eating their meal, along came the white hunter.
“Have you given that little hippo anything to eat?” he asked the black men.