We went carefully towards the spot whence Ndova had come, and saw a huge python coiled round a tree, watching for prey. We killed the reptile, which was nearly twenty feet long. Rogala cut it into many pieces, packed them together in large leaves, and hung the parcel on the branch of a tree, and said with evident glee: "When we return I will take the parcel with me, for the snake is fat, and will make good soup."
We continued to follow the path, looking all around us for game, and walked as lightly as we could. The footsteps of Rogala, who wore no shoes, could not be heard.
Soon Ndova began to call for monkeys. His power of scent or of hearing was so great that he had detected the presence of monkeys, though we could hear nothing. His calls were soon answered. Then we made him fast to a cord, for fear that he would go away from us. Each side kept on talking and answering each other, and the cries of the flock of monkeys to which he was talking came nearer and nearer. Then they suddenly stopped. Had Ndova warned them not to come nearer? I thought I had detected a peculiar sound that was unlike those he always uttered when he wanted ndovas to come. I might be mistaken, but, after all, they did not come, and we did not hear them utter a single cry.
We continued on our way. After a while we heard in the distance the fierce and angry barking of Andekko. We listened, then shouted at the top of our voices, "Andekko, Andekko," so that he might know we were not far from him. He was evidently not pursuing game, for the barking was stationary.
Rogala said to me: "Let us go through the jungle towards him and see what causes this fierce barking."
"Yes," said I, "let us go and see what is the matter."
So we left the path, and went through the thick jungle, breaking some of the branches as we went along to guide us on our way back.
Louder and louder became Andekko's barking as we neared the spot where he was, when suddenly the barking ceased. The face of Rogala became anxious, and he said to me in a low voice: "Perhaps Andekko has been pounced upon by a snake, which is now coiled round him, and has squeezed him to death."
"That may be so," I replied. "Let us hurry." So we went, careless of the noise we made. We had only our dear Andekko in our minds, and we wanted to save his life, and, if too late, wreak our vengeance upon his destroyer.