Safari Drums

In Africa, filmmaker Larry Conrad, his cinematographer Steve, guide Brad Morton and secretary Peggy Jethro, screen film footage of wild animals for Deputy Commissioner Barnes. To help Conrad obtain more footage of wild animals, Barnes instructs his servant Sumbo to send a coded drum message to Bomba, a young man who grew up in the jungle and still lives there with the animals. Barnes is later notified by the Nairobi commissioner's office about the disappearance of a geologist named Stapleton, whom Barnes met when the geologist passed by on his way to Nairobi after mapping the location of a diamond deposit. Although Bomba declines to help the film crew, Conrad insists on contacting him to enlist his aid, so Barnes sends his guide, Eli, and porters to accompany Conrad and his group to Bomba's home near an active volcano. Just as they arrive the volcano erupts and Bomba leads the crew to safety in his caves. When Peggy wanders alone deep into the cave and is threatened by a panther, Bomba is forced to kill the cat with his knife to save her. Bomba still refuses to help Conrad, and after the eruptions cease, Conrad sends Peggy to convince Bomba. Bomba, now fond of Peggy, sees through her mission. However, he agrees to work with Conrad after receiving a coded drum message from Barnes, who has been informed by sergeants Murphy and Collins that Stapleton was murdered and his maps and diamonds stolen. As they believe that the killer is a member of Conrad's crew, Barnes advis... more