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.""I wonder if we could spot this hound who shot poor Simmonds," surmised Biggles, considering the landscape reflectively."He can't have got very far.""He won't be expecting trouble, from the air," remarked Ginger."That's true—yes, by Jove!" murmured Bertie."Of course, this isn't really our affair," went on Biggles."Our job is to find Cetezulu.But it goes against the grain to let this unknown thug get away with murder.Still, before we start anything we'd better go back to Latonga and see if Algy has found anything of interest in those photographs."They returned to the airstrip.Algy came in soon afterwards, and he brought with him information that exceeded in importance anything for which they could have hoped.This took the form of some photographs, still damp, between sheets of blotting-paper.These made it clear at a glance that the unfortunate game ranger had secured the evidence he sought.Seven films had been exposed, and all had given clear, sharp prints that spoke well of Simmonds's ability as an amateur photographer.The "first two prints were of the same subject, and showed a number of natives hacking the tusks out of a dead elephant.The two photographs had been taken from the same spot, but the position of those in the pictures had altered somewhat, so that between the two, most of the faces could be seen.Ginger recognised one of them instantly, and so, from their exclamations, did Biggles and Mishu.It was the headman of the village."No wonder he didn't want to talk," said Biggles grimly.The next two prints showed simply the remains of a dead rhino, with its horns cut off.Vultures were feeding on it, but no human beings were there.The beast looked as if it had been dead for some time.The last three prints were so dramatic, and so startling in what they portrayed, that a hush fell on those who looked at them."By Jove! What d'you know about that!" murmured Bertie at last."Talk about every picture tells a story.""These certainly tell one, and it's an ugly one," said Biggles quietly."They were the last three films exposed," put in Algy."I reckon they must have been taken just before Simmonds was shot.""That's about it," agreed Biggles."I'd say he got his photos, put the camera in the case and hung it up out of the way—which rather looks as if he was expecting trouble.Either he was spotted, or with more nerve, than sense, tried to make an arrest."These photographs were all of the same subject.They showed a heavily-built white man, dressed, or even overdressed, for where he was and what he was doing.He wore crossed bandoliers.Field-glasses hung round his neck.A belt round his waist carried a heavy hunting-knife.A conspicuous feature of his face was a dark, rough beard.Two natives, carrying spears, dressed in ragged, ill-fitting shirts and trousers, stood on either side of him.Their faces were unlike those of the local people, several of whom were in the picture standing expectantly facing the white man.Between them lay some articles that left no doubt as to what was going on.They were four elephant tusks, two of them very small, and several rhinoceros horns.These, obviously, were about to change hands.The picture showed the bargain being struck.Biggles drew a deep breath."Well, poor Simmonds certainly got something, though it cost him his life.Nothing could be more conclusive than this.He must have tracked those natives to their rendezvous with the rascal who buys the stuff.I wonder who he is? Do you know this man, Mishu? Have you ever seen him?"Mishu answered that he had never seen the man, but he had heard of him and knew him by description.The man, he said, was not altogether white.He came from Ethiopia, where he had lived for some time.There was a story that the man had once been rich but had run away from his own country in Europe to live in Addis Ababa.Mishu thought the man had first come south into British territory looking for gold, but not finding any had started a traffic in illegal ivory, leopard skins and anything the people had to sell.He had had this information from Major Harvey, who had sometimes looked for the man but had never been able to find him."If he gets back across the frontier, there will be nothing we can do about it," said Biggles anxiously."If we followed him there someone would set up a howl about violating other people's territory.However if we move fast we may be able to head him off before he can get back.If Mishu’s reading of the tracks is correct he hasn't started for home yet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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