IN SEARCH OF THE OKAPI

A Story of Adventure in Central Africa

by

ERNEST GLANVILLE

Author of "The Diamond Seekers" "The Fossicker" "Tales from theVeld" etc. 

Illustrated by William Rainey, R. I. 

Chicago A. C. McClurg & Co. 1904

CONTENTS

 CHAP. 

 I. THE HUNTER

 II. A NOVEL CRAFT

 III. THE CANOE ADRIFT

 IV. THE STORY OF MUATA

 V. TROUBLE BREWING

 VI. THE FLIGHT

 VII. THE THOUSAND ISLANDS

 VIII. THE BULLS AND THE WILD DOGS

 IX. A LION'S CHARGE

 X. A NIGHT IN THE REEDS

 XI. A TRAP

 XII. THE MAN-EATERS

 XIII. THE TREE-LION

 XIV. THE OVERHEAD PATH

 XV. FIGHT WITH A GORILLA

 XVI. ACROSS THE LAGOON

 XVII. THE PLACE OF REST

 XVIII. THE FIGHT IN THE DEFILE

 XIX. THE MAKER OF LAWS

 XX. THE SECRET WAY

 XXI. A VOICE FROM THE DEAD

 XXII. A TERRIBLE NIGHT

 XXIII. THROUGH THE VAULTS

 XXIV. LETTING IN THE RIVER

 XXV. THE CRY IN THE NIGHT

IN SEARCH OF THE OKAPI

CHAPTER I

THE HUNTER

"Dick, why do you study Arabic so closely?"

"To understand Arabic. "

"And further?"

Dick Compton closed his book and placed it carefully in a leathercase. 

"It is a pity you were born curious, Venning, otherwise you wouldhave made an excellent companion for a studious man. 'Why do I wishto understand Arabic?' Why do you stand on one leg watching atadpole shed its tail. "

"Excuse me, I always sit down to watch a tadpole. "

"Yet I have seen you poised on one leg for an hour like a heron, afraid to put down the other foot lest you should scare somewretched pollywog. Why?"

"I do it for the love of the thing, Dick. What is a page of yourcrooked signs compared with a single green pond and all that itholds?"

"By Jove! Is that so--and would you find a volume in a caterpillar?"

"Why not? Listen to me, Dick. Take the silver-spiked caterpillar, with a skin of black satin and a length that runs to four inches. Helives his life in the topmost boughs of an African palm--a feathereddome amid the forest--and there beneath the blue sky he browses tillhe descends into the warm earth to sleep in chrysalis form before heemerges as a splendid moth, with glass windows in his wide wings tosail with the fire-flies through the dark vaults of the silentwoods. "

"All that from a caterpillar?"

"That and much more, Dicky. "

"And where will this study of the caterpillar lead you, Godfrey? Onecan't live on a caterpillar. "

"Yet there is one kind--fat and creamy--that makes good soup. "

"Ugh, you cormorant! But tell me seriously, what is the end of yourstudies--where will they lead you?"

"To Central Africa. "

"Do you mean that, Venning?"

"I do, Dick. There is one spot on the map of Africa that is markedblack. That spot is covered over hundreds of square miles by theunexplored forest. Think what that means to me!"

"Fever most likely--or three inches of spear-head. "

"A forest big enough to cover England! Just think of the new formsof life--from a new ant to an elephant or hornless giraffe. Theokapi was discovered near that great hunting-ground--and, who is tosay there are not other animals as strange in its untrodden depths?"

"Is it a wild-fowl, the okapi?"

"A wild-fowl, you duffer!" exclaimed Venning, indignantly. "Haven'tyou heard of the dwarfed giraffe, part zebra, discovered by SirHarry Johnston? It lost the long neck of the original species whichbrowses in the open veld by the necessity to adapt its habits to thechanged conditions of life within the forest. "

"Your neck is rather long, my boy, from much stretching to watchthings. Look out that you don't have it shortened. And so you intendto visit Central Africa? That is very curious!"

"I don't see anything curious about it. "

"Nor do I, as to one thing. If a fellow is crazy about butterflies, he may as well roam in Africa as a lunatic with a net as anywhereelse; but the curious part of the matter is, that my study of Arabicis intended to prepare me for a trip to the very same place. "

"Compton, you don't mean it, " said the other, jumping from his seat. 

"I do, most decidedly. "

"But what has Arabic got to do with the Central African Forest?"

"Quite as much as your short-nosed elephant or long-tailedhippopotamus. I also wish to discover something that has been lost. Don't open your mouth so wide. "

"Is it an animal, Dick?"

"Good gracious, no! I don't care twopence about an animal, except itis for the pot, or unless it wants me for dinner. No; mine isanother search. It is connected with my father. "

"Yes, " said Venning, quietly; for his friend had suddenly growngrave. 

"When I was a little chap, about seventeen years ago, my motherreceived a letter dated from the 'great forest. '"

"It contained only these words, 'Good-bye. ' With it there was aletter in Arabic, written by my father's headman. That letter wasseven months on its travels, and since then no other word have Iheard. "

Venning muttered something in sympathy. 

"My mother, " continued the other, "died five years ago, withouthaving learnt the meaning of the message in Arabic. She had a wishthat no one but I should read the letter, and often she told me thatif it contained any instructions or directions, I was to carry themout. Well, I have interpreted the Arabic signs. "

"Yes, Dick; and----"

"And I can't quite make out the meaning. There is a reference to thejournal my father kept, with the statement that it was safelyhidden; but then follows a reference to a Garden of Rest, to certainpeople who protected him, and to a slave-trader who did him aninjury. These references to me are a mystery; but what is clear ishis desire to have his journal recovered from the Arab slave-dealer, described merely as 'The Wolf. '"

"And that is why you wish to go to Central Africa?"

"That is why, Venning. I must recover my father's journal if itexists; I must, if it is not too late, find out how he died; I mustfind out who are the wild people, and what is the Garden of Rest. "

"The Garden of Rest! That sounds peaceful, but it is very vague, Dick, as a direction. A garden in a forest hundreds of miles inlength will take some finding. "

"I have a clue. "

"So. "

"There is mention of the 'gates' to the garden, whose summits 'arein the clouds'--twin mountains, I take it. "

"Even so, Dick, I think I should have more chance of finding my newanimal than you would have of hitting off your garden. "

"Well, you know now why I have been studying Arabic. I have a littlemoney, and no ties. "

"Like me. By Jove! why shouldn't we go out together?"

"Because we have some sense, I suppose, " said Compton, coolly. "Haveyou ever roughed it?"

"I have slept out in the New Forest--often. "

"Oh, that's picnicking, with the bark of the fox in place of thelion's roar, and good food in place of 'hard tack, ' and perhaps theattentions of a suspicious keeper instead of a surprise attack bywild men of the woods. An explorer needs experience. "

"Yes, and he must buy his own experience; but tell me how he can, unless he makes a beginning. "

"Now we come to the point, Venning. He should begin with some onewho already has experience. "

"I see. And you will wait till some seasoned explorer kindly asksyou to join him? You'll have to wait a precious long time. "

"I'm not so sure, " said Dick Compton, with a knowing smile. 

"Have you found your explorer, Dick?" shouted Venning, eagerly. 

Compton produced a leather purse and extracted a slip of paper cutfrom an advertisement column, and passed it to his friend. 

"By Jove! eh, that's splendid!" spluttered Venning, in hisexcitement as he glanced at the paper. 

"Read it over. "

Venning read the notice--

"A GENTLEMAN, who is an experienced traveler, being about to enterupon an expedition into Central Africa, would like to makearrangements with two young men of education and of means to bear ashare of the expenses to accompany him. --Apply, for furtherparticulars, to D. H. , No. 109 Box, Office of this paper. "

"Let us write at once to D. H. , " he said eagerly. 

"I have seen him. "

Venning took a deep breath and stared at his friend. 

"I saw him this very morning, " said Compton, quietly. 

"And----------"

"He said you were too young! Eh? Go on--go on!"

"And I told him I thought I could find a friend who would join me. "

"You mean to say that he agreed to take you?" cried Venning, jumpingup. 

Compton nodded. 

"Oh, splendid! And you will take me to him? You're a brick. What ishe like, eh? Is he old or young, eh?"

Compton kept cool outwardly, but he could not subdue the glitter ofhis dark eyes, or keep the colour out of his cheeks. 

"He is about five feet four. I can look over his head. "

"Oh!"

"There are grey hairs in his beard. "

"Quite old; old and little! What bad luck! He will have to look upto us. "

"Well, you know, he can't help being small, can he?"

"I suppose, like most little men, he is as vain as he can stick, bumptious, and fidgety, " said Venning, despondently. 

"He struck me as being very quiet. At any rate, you can judge foryourself, as we are due to see him within half an hour. You musttell him that you are a naturalist, as he intends writing a book, inwhich a great deal of space will be given to animals. He said hefelt a 'bit shaky on his pins' when it came to scientific terms. "

"I should be glad to help him there, " said Venning; "but it is toogood. He would never take a youngster like me. "

"He said he would rather have a youngster who would carry out hisown views about treating a subject, than a man who would try toteach him his business. Come along and see him for yourself. "

"Within half an hour the two friends who had just left schoolentered a room which was part library, part museum, armoury, dining-room, and cabin, so crammed it was. 

"This is my friend Venning, Mr. Hume. "

"Glad to see you, Venning. Sit down anywhere. "

Compton sat down between the horns of a bleached buffalo skull, butVenning stood like one in a trance. His hand had been swallowed upby a huge palm and thick iron-like fingers, and he was staring downon a pair of the broadest shoulders he had seen, with an archingchest to match. This was the pigmy he had imagined--this man withthe shoulders of a giant and the chest of a Hercules. Then his eyesranged over the walls, gradually recovering their animation. 

"Know 'em, " said Mr. Hume, waving a bronzed hand towards the wall. 

"I think so, sir. "

"Just reel off the names. "

Venning reeled off the names of a score or more of animals withouthesitation, and Mr. Hume looked pleased. 

"There are some men, " he said, "who come in here and talk over meand round me and under me about fur and feather, and they can't tella bighorn from a koodoo by the horns on the wall. Now, my friend, you knew those over there in the corner were the horns of a koodoo, but do you know his habits?"

"No, sir; but I spent a month watching a Dartmoor deer. "

"A month! Can't learn anything in a month, boy; but you've struckthe right book. The pages that are spread out under the sky hold theright teaching, for those who wish to learn about animals. There arewriters who make a study of structure; they argue from bones, andclassify; but bones don't tell us about the living flesh and blood. You take my meaning?"

"You make a difference between the structure of animals and theirhabits. "

"That's so, my lad. Ever read Jeffreys, and the sketches by the 'Sonof the Marshes'?"

"They're splendid. "

Mr. Hume nodded and filled a pipe, having a footlong stem, made outof the wing-bone of an albatross. 

"I want to describe the personal habits of animals in theirsurroundings. I said 'personal' habits. Do you take me?"

"No, sir. "

"You think I should use another word, and say, perhaps, 'distinctive' habits. I say personal. Now, you take a lion--a bushlion or a veld lion, a yellow lion or a black lion, young or old. That lion, whichever one you take, is a lion by himself. He's gothis own character and his own experience. All lions have ways incommon because they're built alike. They're heavy and muscularbecause they've got to pull down big game; and because they're heavythey move slowly, and because they move slowly they've got to adoptcommon tactics in hunting. Good; but one lion differs from another, and so with other animals, right away through the list. So, I say, one must study the personal habits of animals in their own backyard, so to say, before he can give a true description of them. Doyou take my meaning?"

"I should like nothing better than to study animals in their home, "said the boy, burning with excitement. 

"And the two of you think you would like to join me in myexpedition?"

Mr. Hume looked at them out of calm yellowish eyes as if he werestudying them. 

"We should, " they said eagerly. 

"Think it will turn out a picnic--a glorified sort of camping-out, with black fellows to wait on you, and a lot of shooting andfishing? Is that your idea?"

"We were talking about that this morning, " said Compton, "and wecame to the conclusion that exploring was hard work. We are preparedfor rough living. "

"That's right. And you tell me that you are free to go withoutgiving anxiety to relatives, eh?"

"We neither of us have near relatives. "

Mr. Hume stood up and felt each one over in turn, making them drawdeep breaths. 

"Seem sound, " he mused, "in wind and limb. But there is one thing. The great danger in Central Africa is from fever--not from animalsor blacks. " Here he took down a bottle of white powder, and placed alarge pinch in a wine-glass of water. "Quinine is the traveler'sstand-by, but there are some who cannot take quinine, It has noeffect on them, and such people have no business to set foot infever districts. Drink this?"

Compton emptied the glass with a wry face, and Venning, when histurn came, shuddered; but they got the dose down, and smiled. 

"Now, " said Mr. Hume, "you both of you give me references to theheadmaster of your school, and I will give you one in return. I willmake inquiries about you, and I would advise you to make inquiriesabout me. You can come back here to-morrow afternoon, and if we aremutually satisfied, we will then fix up a contract. "

"I don't think we require a reference, " said Venning. 

"Why not?" said Mr. Hume, sharply. 

"Because, " blurted out Venning, turning red--"because you have livedamong animals. "

Mr. Hume laughed heartily with a deep rumbling laugh. 

"Animals are tricky, boy; and yet, " he added, "there may be ameaning in what you say. They have a dignity in death that is grand. Go and make your inquiries, lads. I am Dave Hume, the hunter, and mylife has been passed in wild lands, but there are some in London whoknow me. "

He rose up to open the door, and Venning overtopped him by inches, yet he did not look either small or unwieldy. His step was springy, and his head, poised on a massive neck, was well set, with the chinraised. He was a man, evidently, who had always looked the worldstraight in the face. His eyes had a yellowish tinge, and in theircolour and their calm they reminded Venning somehow of a lion, animpression heightened by the tawny hue of a long beard. 

The next day, the references having been satisfactorily followed up, the contract was entered upon, and the two boys paid over the sum ofPounds 50 each to David Hume, who in his turn agreed to let themshare in any profits which the expedition might make, from anysource whatever. 

"Profits, Mr. Hume?" they asked. 

"Profits from hunting, from trading, or from discovery. I don't saythat we shall make anything. The chances are, of course, that we maylose all before we are a month out, but it is always well to bebusiness-like. There is gold in Central Africa. We may discover agold reef. There are new animals in the forest. We may catch anokapi, and if we could land it in England it would fetch a largesum. We might snare a live gorilla, and there is not a gorilla inthe zoological gardens of Europe. "

"A gorilla!" said Venning, thinking of a picture he had seen of anerect man-ape bending a rifle-barrel into an arch as if it were acane. 

"A gorilla!" said Compton. "I should like to find the Garden ofRest. "

"You have heard his story, Mr. Venning?" said the hunter, noddinghis head at Compton. 

"Yes, sir. "

"Well, it was because of that story that I have taken you two intomy expedition; otherwise I should have been obliged to decline yourservices on account of your youth. But the story interested me, andI will do my best to help Compton in his search. "

"Thank you, " said Compton, quietly. 

"The Garden of Rest!" mused the hunter. "That, I take it, would bean Arabian phrase; for such a term would not occur to a native, whois too often idle to attach much value to a state of rest. Itsounds peaceful; but I have it in my mind that if we ever reach theplace, it will be only after much hard work, much suffering, anddanger. You understand that this is no pleasure excursion?"

"We do, sir, " said Compton; "yet we expect to get much pleasure fromthe expedition. "

"Another word. I am not an exacting man; but there is one thing Iwill not tolerate, and that is disobedience. It is well tounderstand that now;" and there came a stern expression into thosesingular eyes. 

"That is only right, " said Compton; and Venning agreed. 

CHAPTER II

A NOVEL CRAFT

A month was devoted to preparation--a month that was full ofpleasure to the two friends, for they came into close touch withDave Hume the hunter, and learnt to regard him almost as a brother. Ordinarily, he was curt in his speech and cold in manner, especiallywith strangers; but at night, when he had shed his boots and coat, he would talk to them freely of his hunting experiences, and listenwith interest to their opinions. He never laughed at their mistakes, nor damped their enthusiasm, but he got the best out of them by afine courtesy that seemed part of his nature. 

Thus it was that when, early in the first week, Venning said he hadan idea for a boat that could be easily carried round the cataractsand worked without much labour, he was at once encouraged to giveplans and specifications. 

"I read once about a 'sneak-box'--a flat-bottomed shooting canoe--that could carry a sail and serve at the same time as a cabin. "

"I have used one myself duck-shooting. Go on. "

"Well, sir, I built a boat on the plan given, and spent a holidayone year on the Broads. It drew very little water, and was easilymanaged. However, you know all that. But what I was thinking aboutwas a design for a larger boat of the kind, with a propellerattached to it which could be worked by lever. "

"By a lever?"

"Perhaps you have seen a lame man working a bicycle by a lever--well, after that principle. There would be a steel rod with cog-wheels, and one man could work the lever as the lame cyclist doeswithout the labour of rowing. " Venning waited nervously for thecriticism. 

"At any rate the lever would be a relief after the paddles, " saidMr. Hume, gravely. 

"But that is not all, " continued the inventor, hastily. "I would rigup a light American windmill amidships, which could work the screwand get more speed with a following wind in conjunction with a sailrigged up forward. "

"Bravo, my boy!" said Mr. Hume, laughing. "How many revolutions ofthe screw to the minute do you expect to get out of your windmill?"

"That depends on the power of the wind, sir. Do you think it is amad scheme?"

"It would impress the natives, " said Compton, "and at any rate wecould start wheat-milling, you know, in case we came to the end ofour resources. "

"There's no wheat in Central Africa, you duffer! Besides, sir, it'smainly a question of gear. With a lever, cog-wheels, and a runningchain after the pattern of the cycle chain, one could----"

"And ball bearings, " suggested Compton, slyly. 

"Yes; and ball bearings--the friction would be reduced, and we couldget more power out of a screw and propeller than we could from fourpaddles. "

"You may be right, " said Mr. Hume, thoughtfully. 

"We don't want to take a large party, and I confess the watertransport has bothered me very much. The wind-mill, I am afraid, wemust leave to some other time, but the other part of your scheme isworth placing before practical men, and I will give you a letter toa friend of mine who had a boat built on the Thames. "

Venning saw the friend the very next day; the friend gave him anintroduction to a member of a great firm of torpedo-boat builders onthe Thames, and this gentleman very kindly gave the matter fiveminutes' attention. 

"Your idea, eh?" said the great designer. "Explain what advantageyou expect to gain. "

"Less labour in working than with paddles, and greater speed. "

"Humph! Well, my lad, you leave the matter with me, and I willreport. You can look over the yards if you like. "

Venning spent the rest of the morning among the wicked-lookingsharks of the Navy, and he went back depressed with the thought thathis "sneak-box" was merely a plaything. However, he picked upconfidence when the next day brought an offer from the builders toturn out an aluminium sneak-box in three divisions, with capacityfor a crew of six, to be worked on occasion by two men pulling atlevers, driving the propeller by means of endless chains and cog-wheels, the gear to be made of best oil-tempered nickel-steel, withhardened ball bearings. Each division, when detached, of such weightthat it could be easily carried by three men, but no guarantee giventhat the propeller would give the speed desired. 

"That is good enough for us, I think, " said Mr. Hume. 

"They give no guarantee, " remarked Compton, cautiously. 

"No; but they would not undertake the work unless they had somebelief in the idea, and if the propeller proves useless, we can atthe worst unship it. In any case we must have the boat, and we couldnot improve on the makers. "

The order was given, and by the fourth week the little boat waslaunched on the Thames for its first trial. It looked workmanlike inspite of its wide beam and shallow draught, for the great designerwho had fashioned the lines of the fastest destroyer afloat hadhimself drawn up the plans after giving a day's careful thought tothe job. The shaft, which rested on nickel-steel sockets, with ballbearings supported by nickel-steel ribs for lightness, was protectedby a water-tight casing, and all the other parts made of the verybest metal, so as to secure both lightness and strength, with acomplicated set of cog-wheels to take off the strain. The steeringwas by a neat wheel right forward, where the look-out man could havean uninterrupted view. Forward, too, was the socket for the metalmast. The boat was fifteen feet in length, with a beam of four feetamidships, tapering fore and aft, with a well in the centre, and theremaining space covered in with a light aluminium deck, strengthenedby oak bends. There was sleeping-room for two, so that with a crewof four there would have to be four watches of three hours each. Thepeculiar features of the long, low craft were the two levers risingabove the after-deck through slots, which gave each a thrust ofabout one and a half feet, and two saddle-like seats borne on stoutsupports, one near the stem facing the bows, and the other furtherforward facing the stem. Venning perched himself on one seat, Compton on the other, one of the hands took the wheel, and Mr. Humeand the designer sat in the well. 

Compton's clear-cut face, with well-formed jaws, showed no othersign of interest than a rather amused smile, but Venning's fairfeatures were flushed with excitement and nervous expectation, A manpushed the boat out. It moved at first sluggishly. 

"Full speed ahead!" cried out Mr. Hume. 

Venning pulled his lever over, and as he shot it back Compton pulledhis, the two moving to and fro easily as if they had been rowing asteady stroke. 

"She moves, she moves!" cried Mr. Hume, with a shout. 

"Take her over the mile, " said the designer to the steersman; and hepulled out his watch with exactly the same look of calm interest heshowed when presiding over the trial of the fastest craft afloat. 

The shining aluminium boat answered to her helm, slipped through themuddy waters in a graceful curve, and then steadied for the straightcourse. 

"Let her go, boys. "

The levers worked to and fro with an easy swing; there rose the humof the chains moving easily below, and the quickened churning of thepropeller blades. 

The designer glanced from his watch to the bank, which was fastslipping away, and nodded his head at Mr. Hume. 

"Easy all. I think she will do;" and he nodded at Venning. "Tenminutes. "

"Ten minutes!"

"A mile in ten minutes--six miles an hour!"

"And it was as easy as nothing, " said Venning--"wasn't it, Dick?"

"Like cutting bread, " said Compton. 

"Very good, I think; but you must remember that she carries nocargo. Now we'll try her with the sail alone, and then with the sailand screw combined, and then with the screw and oars, for you willsee that I have fitted row-locks. "

Under a fair breeze the boat skimmed along at a merry pace, with nowave worth speaking of; and with the sail and screw she put on anadditional four miles, and with the oars an extra three, making fromnine to ten miles an hour. 

"I congratulate you, Mr. Venning, " said the designer, as theystepped out, thoroughly pleased. 

"I am sure, sir, we thank you, " said the boy, warmly. 

"Eight, " said Mr. Hume; "and we are thoroughly pleased with thecraft, every one of us. "

"She is a beauty, " put in Compton--"a real beauty; and I think shewould be perfect if a light awning could be fixed up over the after-deck. "

"That could be done easily. 

"It would be an improvement, certainly, " said Mr. Hume. 

"I will rig up brackets to hold the rods for the awning. "

"And we could fix up mosquito curtains round the sides. That is A 1. Now, what is her name to be?" And Mr. Hume looked at Venning. 

He had thought of a name, and was prompt with it--the Okapi. 

"And what does that mean?" asked the builder, with a smile. 

Venning explained, and the name was adopted. 

"Now, " said the builder, "if Mr. Venning will come down to-morrowafternoon, my workmen will take the Okapi to pieces in his presencebefore packing it for delivery in the docks, and explain thoroughlyhow it is to be put together. I will give orders for several extraplates with fittings to be placed in one of the divisions, so thatif you have an accident you will have the material for repairing themischief. You understand, aluminium cannot be soldered, but youcould cover a hole by means of nuts and screws. "

Venning was in time next day to receive his instructions, and madein his note-book an outline sketch of each part. While he was soengaged, Mr. Hume, with Compton, were seeing the outfit packed forthe steamer, every purchase having been made with great judgment, sothat nothing superfluous figured in the list. Their armamentconsisted of one double express for Mr. Hume, two sporting carbinesfor the boys, three Mauser revolvers, and one fowling-piece, stronghunting-knives, as well as four Ghoorka knives for cutting a paththrough the forest. As far as possible all their food-stuff wasconcentrated in tabloids and essences; each had his own special tin-lined medicine-case, in addition to the common drug-chest; eachhis own water-bottle of double canvas, a material which, permittingevaporation, keeps the water cool; and each his regulation "billy, "or cooking-tin. As for clothing, it was a mixture of luxury andrough wear, of the best silk underwear, cellular shirts of a lightblue, and yellow chamois-skin breeches, warranted to grow tougherwith use. Putties were discarded, as likely to give harbourage to"jiggers, " which bore into the toes, in favour of soft leather highboots, tightly fastened at the knee; and the outfit included needlesfor the making of moccasins, or veld schoen, from the hides of thelarger antelope. 

"Why do you select all blue shirts, Mr. Hume?" asked Venning. 

"On account of the mosquitoes. "

"Consider the feeling of the gorillas, " said Compton, dryly. "Perhaps they would prefer green. "

"They may find us green enough for their taste, Compton; but I amnot joking. Mosquitoes have a preference for some colours and anaversion for others. They dislike blue most of all, so you see Ihave a purpose in selecting blue--not only for the shirts, but forthe mosquito curtains. "

"All these precautions for a wretched fly. "

"Exactly. A mosquito's gimlet carries more terrors for the explorerthan the elephant's trunk, and his hum is more dreaded than the roarof the lion. The mosquito is fever-winged, alert, and bloodthirsty. He carries the germs of malaria with him; and malaria kills off moremen than all the reptiles and wild animals combined. "

"Is there no way of fighting?" asked Compton, impressed. 

"Oh ay; they are fighting him on the West Coast by draining theswamps, where he breeds about the villages. But who can drain theswamps of the Congo, or let light into the Great Forest?"

"Then we stand a fair chance to catch malaria?"

"A better chance, " said Mr. Hume, grimly, "than we have of catchingthe okapi. Fear the mosquito, but at the same time take everyprecaution against its attack. I have an idea myself that nature hasprovided a safeguard. "

"Quinine?" said Venning. 

"Quinine is an antidote. I mean a preventive--but that is yourdepartment, Venning. It will be one of your duties to study thelittle brute, and you may make a great discovery, for instance, ithas been discovered that the mosquito dislikes certain colours. Why?It may be that he would show more distinctly on one colour than onanother, and so fall an easy victim to an insect-eating bird. But itmay be that the leaves of some plant of a particular hue, or thejuices of the plant, are distasteful to the insect. Flies don't likethe leaves of the blue-gum, and I guess mosquitoes have their likesand dislikes. Find the plant they dislike, and we may defy them. "

They had no accommodation for such a luxury as a tent, but insteadthey purchased canvas hammocks, each with a waterproof covering, anda roll of green canvas with strong eyelet-holes, to serve thepurpose of a tent, in addition to a canvas awning with bamboo rods, to cover the whole boat in case they were not able to land for anylength of time. 

It was a pleasant time for the boys, and when at last they werepitching down the Channel into the Bay of Biscay, having meanwhilepassed through a miserable twenty-four hours, they inhaled thestrong salt air and clapped each other on the back. 

It was grand!

They stood in the bows, one hand on the rail, the other on the brimof a hat, and tasted the salt with a smack of the lips. The windblew its life into their eyes, brightened them, toughened theirskins, reddened them, and the spray, drying on the red, softened thecolour to a fine healthy brown. Then the good ship heeled over androlled back with a swing of the yards, and the first roller from theAtlantic went majestically by. They were on the old, old track ofthe adventurers, of the sea-rovers, of the great captains, of theempire builders, and before them, far off in the fastness of theDark Continent, was the Great Forest with all its secrets fast held. 

CHAPTER III

THE CANOE ADRIFT

They passed in time the rocks that guard Madeira, the green bay ofFunchal, the peak of Teneriffe, and then the ship turned on its heelto the West Coast, and, while yet a thousand miles away, waswelcomed by two messengers--a shrike and a hawk-moth, who had sailedalong some upper current of air with red sand from the Sahara tofilter down at last on to a firm resting-place. 

They went away down into the Gulf of Guinea, and with many a call bythe way to discharge cargo, approached the mouth of the Congo, whose flood gave a tawny colour to the sea. So far they had seennothing but the squalid fringe of the Continent, and the damp heathad steamed them and tried them, but the young explorers had notlost the fine edge of their imagination. They knew that hundreds ofmiles back in the unexplored heart of the land there were secrets tobe unraveled, and though they shed their warmer clothing, theyretained their ardour. The river somewhere in its far reaches heldfor them, and them alone, new forms of life--the grandfather of allthe crocodiles, a mammoth hippo; and somewhere in the forest wassome huge gorilla waiting to offer them battle. Moreover, were thesenot the gates of the Place of Rest?

"Surely, " said Compton, as they steamed slowly into the night offthe mouth of the great river, "thy slave is not cast down becausethe black children of the mud-house at our last calling-place didmock us with their mouths, and the man, their father, wore the silkhat and frock-coat of civilization?"

"Perish the thought, " said Venning, throwing a banana peel at abrilliant flash of phosphorescent light in the oily waters. "Yet theman-who-was-tired, he of the parchment face, who sat on a verandahwith his feet on the rail, prophesied that within seven days weshould be sighing for English bacon in the country where a white mancould breathe. "

"There is no snap in the air; but I can breathe freely. See;" andCompton took a deep breath. 

"That is the teaching of the hunter, " said Venning, wisely. "Deepbreathing gives a man deep lungs. That is his teaching. Also this, that a man should keep his skin clean and his muscles supple by hardrubbing after the bath. Therefore, I did ask the bo'sun to turn thehose on us in the morning when they clean down the decks. It is goodfriction. "

"And he has another saying--that it is good for the skin to applyoil with the palm of the hand till the skin reddens. I have a smellabout me like a blue gum-tree, for the ointment he gave containseucalyptus oil. "

"And the fat of a goat. There is much virtue in goats' fat, and theeucalyptus is not to the taste of the trumpeter. "

"The mosquito?"

"Even so. "

"Then why don't you say so in good English?" and Compton droppedaway from his high-flown speech. "I bet that's a shark kicking upall that phosphorescence. "

"He swims in fire, like the--like the----"

"Sprat!"

"Like Apollo, you lean-minded insect. With every sweep of his tailhe sends out diadems of liquid gems, and his broad nose shovels firebefore him like a----"

"Stoker. Exactly; and if we had a lump of fat pork and a hook wecould drag him up and collect a basketful of jewels. I dare say heis leering up at us with a green and longing eye. "

"Did you hear that cry?" asked Venning, suddenly. 

"No. " "Was it the shark whispering, do you think?"

"Shut up and listen. "

They leant over the rail and peered into the night. The drowsy airthrobbed to the measured beat of the engines, but they scarcelynoticed that accustomed sound. 

"There it is again. "

"Yes. I heard something like a sheep bleating. "

"Would a sheep be swimming out here, you ass?"

"The shark's off--look!" and they saw a streak of fire shootforward. 

"And there goes another. By Jove, they must have heard the cry!"

"I'm sorry for the sheep then, " muttered Compton. 

They bent far forward, listening intently, and following the coursetaken by the sharks as defined by the gleaming wake. The leadsmanswung out the sounder as the vessel slackened down with a yell fromthe escape-valve that drowned all other sounds with its deafeningclamour. 

"By the deep nine!" cried a bass voice. 

The bell in the engine-room signaled the skipper's order, and theship felt her way once more. Again there was silence, save for thethrob of the engines and the grating of the steering-chain atintervals. 

"I have not heard the cry again, " said Compton. 

"Can you see anything over there--follow the line of my finger--there, just by that gleam?"

"Yes; I think there is something. "

"Then I think the captain ought to know;" and Venning ran off firstto Mr. Hume. 

"Something afloat, eh?" and Mr. Home rose from his deck-chair. 

"Some one in distress, I think, " They went on to the bridge, andVenning began his story; but the captain cut him short by wheelinground to the rail. 

"Ahoy, there--ahoy!"

A startling response came in a long, quivering wail out of the darksea. 

"By the lord, " muttered the captain, "what's that?"

"Jackal, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Impossible! We are miles from the shore. "

"Jackal, sure enough. Maybe sent adrift by a flood, and taken to atree. "

The captain laughed. "I thought it was a hoodoo at least. Well, lad"--turning to Venning--"you don't want me to pick up a creaturelike that?"

"I don't think it is far away, sir. I think I see a tree or boat, and if you would lower me over the bows and ease the vessel----"

"Well?"

"Perhaps I could pick it up. "

"You are not afraid of being bitten?"

"I think it would know I meant it good. "

The skipper laughed good-humouredly. "Well, you're a plucky lad, and, at any rate, I'd not be losing time. " He touched the bell, andmotioned to the steersman. The ship slowed down and came round. "Mr. Bobbins, just sling this young gentleman over the port-bows, andhave a light lowered. Do you still stick to your bargain?"

Venning answered by sliding off the bridge and climbing up into thebows, where a knot of sailors had gathered at the gangway. A ropewas looped round his thigh, so as to give his arms play, and two menstood to pay him over and down. 

"Here she is!" sang out the mate. 

The bell rang out, "Stop her, " and Venning went over, catching therope above his head with his left hand, and taking a turn round withhis right foot. There was a scraping sound against the side of thevessel. 

"I've got hold, " he shouted. "It's a tree--no, a boat. " Then, "ByJove!"

"What is it?" cried several together, excited by the startledexclamation. 

"Lower the light!" The lantern sank over the side, but those abovecould not see well because of the bulge of the hull. 

"Now lower me. I shall get in and make fast. "

"Take care!" cried Mr. Hume. 

"Look out for the sharks, sir, " sang out a sailor. "There's onecoming up. "

"Lower away, please--quick!"

The men lowered. "That's right. I'm in the boat, or whatever it is. Now let down the lantern. "

Those leaning over the side saw Venning reach up for the lantern, and then they heard a snarling and snapping. 

"Stand ready to haul in!" cried the captain. "That brute will attackthe boy. One of you men go down. "

The snarling continued, mingled with soothing cries from Venning;and then the weird howl burst forth anew, daunting the sailor whowas carrying out the captain's order. 

The mate stepped forward. "Stand aside!" he cried, and swung himselfover and down. He reached Venning's side, and they saw him peeringabout him. 

"By thunder!" he muttered. 

"What is it?" demanded the captain, irritably. "D'ye expect me tospend the whole night here?"

"A minute, sir. Let over a running tackle, and we'll have the wholething aboard. "

"Lively there! Lower the tackle, and don't stand staring with yourmouths open. Swing out those davits. "

The davits swung out, the tackle ran through the pulleys into thewater with a splash, and the mate shifted the unknown craft, withits mysterious freight, amidships. A few moments he occupied ingetting the tackle into position. 

"Haul in!" he shouted. 

"Heave!" roared the captain, in a state of high excitement; and thesailors, wrought up to a pitch, heaved with a will. 

The captain, Mr. Hume, and Compton, peering over the side, saw along, narrow canoe rising up, with the forms of the mate and Venningstanding amidships, and some huddled object aft. 

The canoe swung clear of the rails, the tackle was made fast, thedavits swung in, and then the canoe was slowly lowered to the maindeck. 

"Why, it's a man, " shouted Compton. 

"And a dog, " muttered the sailors, falling back. "With a mouthful ofteeth. "

The mate and Venning stepped out as the canoe reached the deck, andthe mate turned the lantern full on the huddled group, showing ajackal, with raised mane and bared teeth, crouching over theprostrate form of a man, whose teeth also were bared, and whose eyesseemed to glare with the same fury that showed in the flaming greeneyes of the animal. 

"What a pair of demons!"

"The man is gagged and bound, captain, " said Venning. "If the cookwill bring a piece of meat for the jackal, I think I can get to theman without trouble. "

"You've done very well, Venning, " said Mr. Hume, quietly. "Leavethis matter to me; it is more in my line. "

With his eyes on the jackal, he placed his hand on the side of thecanoe and moved forward gently while he spoke in Kaffir. "Peace, little friend, " were his words, as he afterwards explained to theamazed captain. "We are hunters both, eh? We know each other, eh?There is no harm in me towards you. You know it, little hunter; youknow it well. "

It was strange to hear the deep accents of an unknown tongue, strange to see a man using speech in complete gravity to a wildanimal, but stranger than all to note the effect on the animalitself. 

At first the red mouth opened wide and the green eyes flamed up, butas the strong hand crept nearer, the glare went out under the steadygaze of the man's tawny eyes, and next, with a whimper, the jackalcrept forward on its stomach, till the sharp black nose smelt theman's hand. 

"We are friends, little hunter, we three;" and the great fingerspassed over the yellow body up towards the face of the bound man. "Friends--together--for we are hunters all--you, myself, and thispoor one here with his speech cut off. " "We will see to that, eh?"The fingers were on the man's face, and with a twist the gag wasout, and the man drew in his breath with a great sob. 

"Ow--ay, that is better; now a little water. "

Still keeping his eyes fixed on the man and his beast, Mr. Hume heldout a hand for a cup, and with a moistened handkerchief bathed thecracked and swollen lips. The eyes of both the man and his beastcontinued fixed on the hunter, following his every movement, andnever straying to the ring of faces round, showing white in theglare of the light. The strong fingers moved swiftly here and there, loosening the hide ropes that bound the legs and arms, and thenrubbing ointment with a strong smell of eucalyptus into the bruisedskin. 

"So--now a little broth for the man, cook, and a scrap of meat forthe jackal. Gently, gently, cook; don't scare them, and don't crowdin, you others. "

"Ay, ay, " burst out the captain, in a sudden fury. "What's the wholeship's company doing here? Is this a garden-party, Mr. Robbins?"

"Get forward!" roared the mate, in a voice that sent the jackalalmost crazy with renewed fright; and at the creature's wild cry thesailors hurried off, muttering that they had taken a whole cargo ofmisfortune aboard. 

The hunter looked reproachfully at the mate, who was mounting to thebridge, and then began once more to soothe the frightened animal, which in time took a bit of raw meat he proffered. The man drankhis broth, and then sat up to stare about him with quick glances. When lying down he had seemed black, but, now that he was in thelight, it was seen that he was more mahogany than black, with a moreprominent nose and thinner lips than are usually found with thenegroid stock. His hair, however, was in little tufts, and the whiteof his eyes had the smoky hue of the negro. As he sat, Mr. Humerubbed the back of his neck, and fed him with broth, a mouthful at atime, and as this went on the fierce black eyes again and againreturned from their swift, suspicious range to the hunter's face. 

"He seems to grow stronger, " said Venning. 

"Fetch a rug from my cabin; we will make him a bed in his own canoe. He will rest easier there till the morning. "

The rug was brought, and the man nodded his head as it was arrangedcomfortably; then, with another long intent look at the hunter, hesettled himself down with a sigh, spoke a word to his strangecompanion, which at once curled itself at his feet, and was asleep. 

"Now, boys, " said Mr. Hume, "you go to bed. I will watch here, andin the morning, maybe, we will find out the mystery. "

In the morning the steamer was on the yellow waters of the Congo, and the boys forgot even about the strange couple in their firstview of the mighty river; but the sight of a native-manned canoe, shooting out from the mist which hung in wisp over the waters, recalled the incident. They found Mr. Hume in an easy-chair, drinking his early morning cup of coffee, and at his feet, stretching along the scuppers, was the canoe, still with its crewaboard and asleep, though the jackal slept apparently with one eyeopen. The canoe was, they saw, made out of a single tree-trunk, andwas thickly coated with the slime of the river, a heavy, sodden, roughly shaped craft, most unlike the light boat that skimmed intoview from out the mist. 

"What do you make of it?" said Mr. Hume, after the two boys had madea long inspection. 

"It seems to me, " said Venning, "that the jackal has a very darkcoat. "

"That is so; it is unusually dark. What does that suggest to you?"

"Well, as the colour is adapted to the nature of the country inwhich the animal hunts, I should say that the jackal came from awooded district. "

"Good. And what is your opinion, Compton?"

Compton bent down to examine the bows. "Look here, sir, " he said;"there is a prayer to Allah carved in Arabic on a leaden medallion, and fixed into the wood. "

"Is that so?" and the hunter looked at the signs with interest. "Ihad not seen that. And it means----"

"That Arabs had something to do with the making of the canoe. "

"Umph! I doubt very much if it is Arab-built. That talisman may havebeen found by a native and fixed on--though that is impossible;" andMr. Hume pondered. "The Arabs may have taken the canoe from thenative owner and fixed in the medallion. "

"He's awake, " said Venning; and the three of them saw that the man, without so much as a movement of surprise at his awakening undersuch altered circumstances, was keenly observing them. 

After he had gravely inspected each in turn, he sat up and raisedhis hand in salutation. The rug slipped off his shoulders, showinghis bare breast, with every rib exposed, and clearly outlined inblue was the form of an animal. 

"A totem!" exclaimed the hunter. 

"Otter, " said Venning. 

"Ask the steward if he has the porridge ready that I ordered. "

Venning ran off, and returned with a basin of thick oatmealporridge. The man took it gravely, made another salutation, and atethe whole. 

"There's nothing wrong with him, " said Mr. Hume, with a smile. "Nowwe'll get him out of that and fix him up comfortably. I like hislooks, and have hopes that he will be useful. "

They removed him to a deck-chair, whither he was followed by thejackal, who was in such a state of suspicion that he declined food. 

"What I think, " said Mr. Hume, in answer to the boys, who wanted hisexplanation, "is this--that the man and the jackal have come fromthe interior. "

"From the Great Forest?"

"Probably from the Great Forest; for these reasons--that the men whoshaped the canoe had no knowledge of the coast-built craft withtheir high bows; that the man is of a different race from the coasttribes; and because the jackal, from his dark markings, is evidentlyfrom a thickly wooded region. That is merely a theory, which doesnot help us much, and certainly does not explain how he came to bebound and gagged in a canoe at sea hundreds of miles from theforest. However, the main point is that we have got him, and havinggot him, will keep him. "

"Against his will, sir?"

"Oh, I reckon he will be only too thankful for our protection. "

"I should think, sir, " said Venning, "the fact of his totem being anotter proves that his tribe derives its living mainly from fish. "

"That is plausible; but it may, again, be a sign of chieftainship, and a chief I have no doubt he is. Maybe he was sent adrift by somerival faction; but that can scarcely be, for he would not havesurvived a long journey; and, again, the canoe would have goneaground. "

"There is another explanation, " said Compton, with a grin. "He maynot have come down the river at all. He may have been set adriftfrom one of those ships we passed for insubordination. "

"Ships do not carry canoes or jackals, " said Venning, who had madeup his mind that the castaway was from the forest, and from nowhereelse. 

They went down to breakfast, and the morning was occupied in gettingtheir kit and packages together. At noon the steamer was berthed ata pier, and their packages were transferred to a paddle-wheeler, which was to take them over three hundred miles up the wide estuaryto a Belgian station. Thence, perhaps, they would proceed hundredsof miles further by another river steamer before they took to theirown boat. 

"Why, we may be days before we really get to work, " said Venning, when the vastness of the Congo was forced on his attention by acasual reference to "hundreds of miles. "

"Days--weeks, my boy, before we come to the fringe of our field. Theriver is more than half the length of the Continent; its length ishalf the distance by sea from Southampton to the Cape, and, next tothe Amazon, it pours a greater body of water into the sea than anyriver in the world. "

"Africa, " said Compton, "seems to be the driest and the wettest, inparts, of any country; and all its great rivers, except the Nile, run to waste. "

"They'll keep, " said Mr. Hume. "When the old world gets tired, wornout, and over-populated, it will find use for these big, silent, deserted rivers, that would carry the ships of the world on theiryellow waters. "

CHAPTER IV

THE STORY OF MUATA

They went from the wide estuary into the true river, with a widththat opened out at times to twenty miles; and while the white mensweltered on the sticky decks, the rescued man grew in strength. When they reached Stanley Pool his skin was like satin again, with apolish on it from the palm-oil he rubbed in continually. 

And when he found his strength he found use for his tongue, and inthe speech he made to his rescuers. Mr. Hume caught the meaning of afew words of Bantu, Compton detected a phrase or two in Arabic, andVenning, who had been schooling himself since they passed BananaPoint at the river mouth, picked out other words in the tongue ofthe river tribes. 

The meaning of his speech, when they had made a mosaic of thedifferent understood facts, was this--that he was a great man in hisown land, but only a child now, being without arms or men, but thatif the white men ever came to his place, he would be a father and amother to them. He would throw his shield before them, and protectthem with bow and spear. 

After this they sat together learning a polyglot speech that wouldserve roughly as a medium of exchange. 

And this was the story of the chief, slowly put together out ofthese talks--

"I am Muata the chief. The kraal of my house is toward the settingsun, but the fire no longer burns on the hearth. The men-robbersfell upon the place in the early morning. The people were scatteredlike goats before the lion. Many were taken by the men-robbers, andmany were slain; and among them my father. 

"The chief's wife, my mother, fled with me into the Great Forest. Many days she lived on roots, and the 'little people' found her inher wanderings. They took her by crooked paths far from the land ofher people. Ohe!

"Through the dark woods--through the dark and terrible woods, through the mist and the rain, with much pain, she followed them asthey went before her like shadows. And in the folds of her blanketshe bore me on her back. It is true. 

"She was straight as the palm when she fled from the kraal, and whenafter long journeying she set me down at the hiding-place, she wasthin and bent. Thin and bent was the chief's wife, she who hadmaidens to wait on her. 

"At the hiding-place in the forest there were people whose kraalshad been burnt by the men-robbers. Outcasts they were, of manytribes, living together without a chief; but the place was fat, andthey grew fat, being without spirit. 

"And Muata the child played with other children and grew. He grew onthe fatness of the land, and when he could walk, his playmates werethe young of the jackal; his playthings were the bow and the spear. 

"Ohe! Muata grew to strength like the lion's cub in the knowledge ofthe hunt. She, even his mother, taught him to follow the trail, showed him the leaf bruised by the foot of a man traveling, showedhim the tracks of the beasts, taught him the cries of the animals. 

"She rubbed the oil into his skin, set him to hurl the spear, toshaft the arrow, to hit the mark; set him to run and swim, to creeplike a snake, to bound like the buck. 

"So Muata grew in the ways of a hunter; and when the men of theplace went on the hunt, Muata went with them--went as a hunter, andthe hut of his mother had meat to spare. 

"Then the chief's wife took the boy to the headmen, and the witch-doctors. They drew on his body the sign of the otter--he who iscunning and brave, who is at home on land or in the water. They madehim a warrior, he who was a boy, because there was always meat inthe hut of his mother. 

"But his mother spoke. 'O Muata, hunter of the wild pig, take yourspear and your bow, and the quiver of arrows with the iron heads. You will hunt men. ' Thus it came that Muata went alone on the war-trail. With him went his mother, who carried the pots and thesleeping-mat, she who carried nothing at her kraal. 

"The trail led into the Great Forest toward the rising sun, andthere were dangers between the sunrise and its setting--dangersbetween the setting of the sun and its rising. 

"A man-ape of great stature, hairy and fierce, stood before us inthe path. He lifted his brows at us, and bared his teeth. Muata wasafraid, but his mother called to him softly--called to him not torun, called to him to drive this thing from her path. 

"Muata notched an arrow and smote the man-ape in the neck. Yoh! Hestood like a man upright, and roared. His roar was like the roar ofa lion in pain. Foam came from his lips, and his eyes were fierce. 

"The knees of Muata shook; his blood was like water. He was afraid, but his mother laughed and cracked her fingers. The man-ape drewnear, but she stood--she the chief's wife. So Muata the boy notchedan arrow, and would have loosened it, but she spoke--'Let him comestill nearer, O warrior. '

"Muata grew stronger at the word. The man-ape came nearer. Threepaces away he stood--and his head was above the head of Muata, hisarms were like a young tree, and the chest was like the chest of twomen. He opened his mouth and the arrow flew into his throat, bitdeep till the point stood out behind. He clutched the shaft with hishands, rocked, and fell, and Muata, taking his spear, thrust itbetween the great ribs. 

"Yoh! the man-ape was dead, and the chief's wife broke the greatteeth from the jaw, and cut off the hairs above the eyes. She burntthem, and mixed them with his blood, for Muata to drink. Muatadrank and was strong. 

"So those two passed through the forest, through the silent dark ofthe woods, in pain and hunger. Passed out into the plains wherethere were kraals and yellow men in white coverings. 

"And the chiefs wife spoke: 'Behold, it is for this I have sufferedmuch for thee, Muata. What I have sown in sorrow and pain I willreap in your strength. Look and look again! Those are of the racewho destroyed the kraals of your people. They are men-hunters, kraal-burners, slayers of children. Steal upon them where they walkidly, and for each arrow slay a man. '

"Muata waited on these men a day and a night, and when he sought hismother on the edge of the forest his quiver was empty, and thechief's wife spoke: 'Where did the arrow strike, O warrior?' AndMuata answered, 'In the throat, O my mother. ' And the chief's wifesaid again, 'It is well; but the warrior sees to it that he canrecover his arrow. And your quiver is empty. ' So Muata returnedand recovered his arrows, for the men lay where they fell, theliving having gone into the kraals in fear. 

"So Muata and the chiefs wife went slowly back to the place ofhiding. And because Muata had slain the man-ape and the robbers--they who slay children--the chief's wife sought out the headmen, andspoke: 'Oh, listen! This is Muata, the son of a chief. He has slainthe man-ape, and for each arrow that was in his quiver a man-robber. It is fit that he be your chief. ' But they laughed, and the chiefswife held her peace. 

"And again, after the crops were gathered, Muata went again on thewar-trail alone--went to the river, followed it down the bank, andthe little people led him to a kraal in the wood by the river bank--a kraal with a high fence, the kraal of the yellow men-robbers. Muata dived beneath the fence with a short spear in his hand. Withhis spear he slew the man who watched by the gate, opened the gate, and put fire to the huts. The yellow men ran, some into the forest, and there the little people found them; others fled into a canoe tocross; Muata swam after, and with his spear ripped open the bottom, so that it filled and sank. 

"And again, when the place of hiding was reached, the chief's wifesought out the headmen and spoke, saying that Muata was a chief'sson. They put her aside with words, saying there was no proof ofthis last thing he had done. But Muata whistled, and the littlepeople came forward, saying the chiefs son had destroyed the kraalof the evil-doers. Then the headmen took counsel, and again put thechief's wife off. 

"The chief's wife bowed her head, but, seeing that she was weak, andthat her mind was fixed on the thing she asked for, Muata took thematter into his own hand. He bade the women prepare a big hut forhis mother--he put a stick to their shoulders; and when a man soughtto slay him there in the presence of them all, Muata smote the manunder the arm with his spear. So they built the great hut, and womenwaited on the chief's wife, his mother, carried water for her, cutthe wood, and built the fire. 

"So Muata was chief, and year by year he led the men of the placeagainst the yellow robbers, till the name of Muata was feared. 

"The would Muata take to himself wives, and would drink beer, andgrow fat; but his mother counseled with him, saying he was a boy--saying he was only at the beginning of the path. And Muata listened, for she was wiser than all, and he set his heart on the plan she putbefore him to win back the land of his people. 

"Thus Muata the chief was still a warrior and a hunter. He followedthe spoor into the fastnesses of the woods, and trained the young ofthe jackal to drive the buck towards him. 

"Ohe! it was ended. The evil-doers, the child-slayers, the robbersof men, sent spies into the forest, and when Muata returned from hishunting there was wailing at the kraal, and the fire was dead on thehearth. And the women cried, 'O chief, they have taken the lioness;they lured her out with tales of ill that had befallen Muata, eventhe young lion. So she went forth between the gates, and they, therobbers, carried her away. '

"Muata turned on his heel straightway. He sought the trail of theman-thieves. It was plain and level. It led through the forest, andby night his jackal led him on the scent. By day he followed; bynight and day Muata went on the track to the river. At the river heheard news. They had gone on the river towards the setting sun. 

"Muata took a canoe from the river people, and with his jackal hefollowed, while the sun rose and set many times, and he came to thefather of rivers. 

"The waters were wide, and his canoe was like a leaf carried hereand there. His heart was sad, but the spirit of his motherprevailed. He followed, and a man came to him saying that the yellowmen were near at hand, and sick of the sickness that shakes. Muatagathered together his strength and pushed on. Ohe! and he fell intothe hands of his enemies like a child. He went among them sleeping, and when he awoke his hands and limbs were bound. 

"And the enemy mocked him, saying, 'Is this Muata?' saying, 'eventhe ant will make him cry aloud;' and they smeared fat on him. Theyshook the ants over him, and they bit deep. They reviled him, theyspat on him, as day by day he followed in the canoe tied to theirgreater canoe. They made plans about him to kill him, but the chiefman said even a dog had his price. So they forebore to slay Muata, but they carried him down the father of waters to where there was astill greater canoe with wings. They put a gag into his mouth tostill his voice, but in the night the jackal bit through the rope, and Muata was alone on the waters. 

"Then the jackal cried suddenly, and Muata was borne out of thewater, and he was fed. 

"That is the story of Muata, and his heart goes out to the white menwho brought him out of the darkness. "

CHAPTER V

TROUBLE BREWING

That was the story of Muata!

The white boys looked and wondered. This man who had been through somany dangers could not be much older than they were. If his storywere true, he had shown endurance, courage, and a force of characterthat set the stamp of greatness upon him as greatness would bereckoned among his kind. 

Was it true that he had slain a gorilla with bow and arrow, that hewarred successfully against the Arab slave-hunters? Had he subdued aband of men by sheer force of will?

The boys believed him. They did not stop to ask whether the storywas probable. They formed their opinion upon the manner of theyoung chief--upon his grave dignity, and upon the absence of aboastful spirit. 

"If his story is true, " said Mr. Hume, "he owes much to his mother. "

"Where is your mother?" asked Compton. 

"The chief's wife is not a woman, " said Muata. "And yet she is awoman. She beguiled them in the forest by pretence of greatsubmission and fear of the woods. So they trusted her to bringfirewood, believing she would not go far from the camp. But she waswatching for sign of the little people. This I know, for shevanished in the woods near the river. And the yellow hunters of menknew not how she had gone; but they left word to people by the riverto say to me that my mother had been carried away in a canoe. "

"And what will you do now?"

"See, I am no one--a liver on kindness, a slave at the gate. But intime Muata will return to the place of hiding. "

"Better stay with us, Muata. We go into the forest ourselves. Wewill give you food, and teach you how to use the weapon of the Arabhunters. You will hunt for us, work in the canoe for us, and, maybe, we will go with you to your hiding-place. "

"The forest is dark and terrible. Why, will my father enter thedarkness with his sons?"

"We go to hunt, and for the love of the woods and the water. Has nota hunter joy in the hunting?"

"I know it;" and the chief observed them intently, as if he wereunpersuaded. "The ways of white men are strange. Muata hunts to keepthe hut supplied with meat, but the white man carries his meat withhim. When he kills he leaves the meat and takes only the horns orthe skin of the thing he has slain. Muata is not a child. When hesees a single vulture in the sky, he knows there are others comingbehind. A white man comes out of the beyond into the black man'scountry. He is soft-spoken; he is a hunter only. Mawoh! and behindhim comes an army. "

"What do you know about white men, Muata?"

"The wise men at the hiding-place talked. They knew one such. Helived among them. His ways were strange. He talked with the trees;he sought among the rocks; he communed with spirits. He washarmless, but the wise men said others would follow on his traildoing mischief. So I ask, my father, why do you wish to enter theforest?"

"Because, " said Compton, leaning forward, "my father was lost in theforest, and I would find him. Tell me, where is the white man yourold men talked of?"

"The forest takes, the forest keeps, " said Muata, lifting a handsolemnly. 

"Do you mean, " asked the boy, quietly, "that the white man does notlive?"

"The people dealt well by their white man. They gave him food; theycarried water for him, and built his fire. Even I, as a child, carried wood to him and listened at his knees. "

"I am not blaming the people; but I want to find the place that iscalled the Place of Rest, where my father lived; perhaps where hedied. "

"This, then, is the hunting?" said the chief, softly. 

Mr. Hume recognized the suspicion in the altered tone and suavemanner of the chief. 

"We have spoken, " he said sharply. "We go into the forest to huntand to seek without anger against any. We thought you would haveworked in well with us; but I see you are a man of a crooked mind. "

"Softly, my father, " said the chief, quietly. "Is it wise that achief should listen to the counsel of strangers without takingthought for his people?"

"We saved the chief's life. "

"The chiefs life is his own"--Muata snapped his fingers--"but thesecret of the hiding-place is the life of the people. Go slowly, myfather. Muata would work for you and with you; his shield is yourshield; his eye is your eye; but the secret of the hiding-place isnot his to give away. "

"Then you must land here on the bank among your enemies. "

The chief glanced at the far-off wooded banks, with lines of smokerising from cooking-fires. 

"I have no weapons, " he said. 

"We cannot help that, " said Mr. Hume, with indifference. "Eitheryou agree to take us to the Place of Rest, or you land. "

Muata rose up, looked under the flat of his hand all around, thenlet the cotton sheet they had given him slip to the deck. The jackalstarted up, with his ears pricked and his eyes fixed on his master'sface. The chief caught hold of a wire rope and jumped on to therail, where he steadied himself. 

"What will you do?" asked Mr. Hume. 

Muata turned round and pointed to the otter on his chest. 

"You don't mean to say, " said Venning, indignantly, "that you aregoing to let him swim ashore? Why, the bank is miles away, and thecrocodiles are in between. "

Muata's glance fell on the jackal, and he spoke to it. The animalwhined, then crouched. 

"A favour, my father, " he said. "If the beast followed me, he wouldbe food for the crocodiles. Place him on land when you reach thebank, for the sake of good hunting. "

"I will do so. "

The chief took another long glance around, then drew himself up forthe dive. 

"Stop, " said Mr. Hume. 

Muata looked round. 

"Your shield is our shield. So be it. We will not ask you to lead usto your hiding-place. Is that so, Compton?"

"When he leads us, " said Compton, nodding his head, "it will be athis own will. "

"At any rate, " muttered Venning, "he has proved himself to be a man;but I wonder if he would have reached the shore?"

As he spoke the jackal howled, and the chief, who was still standingon the rail, slipped and fell with a splash. They ran to the side, and the jackal, with another howl, sprang to the rail and thenceinto the river, where a second or two later it was in the troubledwake of the steamer, beating frantically with its fore paws. 

"Man overboard!" shouted Mr. Hume. "Stand by with a rope. "

But the Belgian skipper on the little bridge held to his course, while a small knot of coloured passengers aft stood laughing andchattering. 

"Stop her, you swab, " cried Mr. Hume; then, as the man took nonotice, he ran to the wheel, thrust aside the steersman, and jammedthe wheel over. 

The displaced man, with an oath, flung himself at the hunter withthe sympathy of the passengers, who, ceasing their laughter, advanced with menacing cries. 

Before the boys had time to comprehend the situation, Mr. Humesettled the matter out of hand. Letting go the wheel, he caught hisassailant by the waistband, and with a heave flung him overboard. Then with a quick right and left he sent two of the others reeling. 

"Now, " he roared at the skipper, "back her, or by the Lord I'llfling you in as well. "

"Fetch the rifles, " said Compton to Venning. 

A moment later the two boys stood at the ready with their rifles, and amid a babel of cries the skipper signaled "Stop her. " Thesteamer slowed up, swung gently round, and shaped back to wherethree dark spots showed. 

"There are four, " cried Venning, at his first swift glance; "and oneis a crocodile. It is making for the jackal. "

"Take the wheel, Compton, " said Mr. Hume, quite calm again. "Give meyour gun, Venning. "

The hunter, with the gun, went to the side and looked over. Nearesthim was the man he had thrown overboard; beyond was the jackal, making a great splashing; and further on was the face of Muata, whowas crying out encouragement to his faithful companion as he swamswiftly towards it; and to the left, moving rapidly towards thejackal, was the crocodile, swimming in a great swirl, with only hiseyes showing, and the end of his snout. The hunter steadied himselfwith a shoulder against a stanchion, and then, without hurry orexcitement, and after a look round the deck at the people, to see ifthere was any further mischief brewing, took deliberate aim andfired. 

A shout went up, and the very people who had a minute before been sohostile, now were abject in their praise of Mr. Hume, for thecrocodile span round and round in answer to the shot. 

"Stand by with a rope, Mr. Compton, " cried the hunter, takingcommand as if by right; and Compton obeyed promptly, but withoutexcitement. 

The first man caught the line and swarmed up wet, but subdued inspirit, casting an appealing glance at his late assailant. Muata, inthe mean time, reached the half-drowned jackal, held it by thescruff of the neck with one hand, and, turning over on his back, waited for the rope. This flung and seized, he also climbed onboard, but there was nothing abject in his appearance. Standing withhis head thrown back and his nostrils quivering, he glared a momentat the group of natives; then, seizing a bar of iron, he made abound forward, uttering a wild war-whoop. 

There would have been bloodshed had not Mr. Hume, with surprisingquietness, flung himself forward and seized the chief round thewaist. 

Compton, cool and ready, wrenched the bar away; and, seeing this, the natives plucked up spirit, calling on the white man to throw the"black dog" to the crocodiles, which had been attracted by the bloodof their wounded fellow, still beating the water in his flurry. 

Venning, however, stepped between with his rifle, and the uproarceased once more. 

"Now, " said Mr. Hume, holding the chief by his arm, "what does thismean? What harm have those men done you?"

"My father has the lion's grip. Mawoh! Muata was a babe in hisarms. "

"That may be, but it is no answer. "

"What harm! Did not my father hear the jackal give tongue?"

"I heard; and those jackals there"--indicating the watching group--"yelped at me, so that I flung one into the water. But--what then?Do you seek to slay when your beast howls?"

"My father does not know, then. "

"I want to know, for it seems to me you were all mad together. "

"Ohe! it is the madness that slays. Ask of those mudfish there fornews of the man who stood behind them to slay Muata, who had the gunaimed to shoot when Muata leapt into the water. Ask them, and theywill lie. "

"What manner of man was this?"

"One of those who hound me in the canoe--even one of the man-hunterswho seized my mother. "

Mr. Hume looked at the boys. "Did either of you see an Arab onboard? Muata says a man was about to fire at him when he sprangoverboard. "

"I thought he fell, " said Compton. "I saw no one with a gun. "

"Nor I, " said Venning; "but the Arab may have gone below. "

Mr. Hume hailed the captain. "My man said an attempt was made on hislife. Have you taken an Arab onboard?"

"I have some mad English on board, " said the captain, gruffly; "andI will see they do not stay on longer than I can help. "

"As to that we will see. "

The captain nodded his head and signaled full speed ahead, turninghis back on the Englishman. 

"I think we can manage the lot, " said Compton, coolly. 

Mr. Hume laughed. "Perhaps so; but it would be very awkward to bedetained at the next station as prisoners, or to be sent back. Wemust let the matter slide. "

"Shall we search the ship, sir?"

Mr. Hume shook his head. "Suppose we found some suspiciouspassenger. What then? There was no actual attempt on Muata, and wehave only his word; besides"--and he glanced at the angry captain--"there is no need to look for trouble--it will come. "

He was right. At the next station, reached within a few hours, thecaptain lodged a complaint to the authorities in the persons of theBelgian officials, who were evidently charmed with the opportunityof teaching the Englishmen a lesson. 

First of all, they placed Muata in chains straight away on theirfinding that he was a dangerous person. When Mr. Hume protested, they placed him under restraint; and that done, they pronouncedjudgment. The English would pay a fine of Pounds 100, surrendertheir weapons, and return to Banana Point by the next steamer down. 

"Is that all?"

"That is all. But stay. As you will be possibly detained afortnight, there would be a charge for maintenance. "

"Be good enough, " said Mr. Hume, producing a document, "to readthat paper. It is a passport from the President of the Congo State--your king--authorizing Mr. Hume and party to proceed with hisservants by land or water anywhere within the State for purposes ofexploration. "

The officers examined the document with sour faces, and one of themmade an observation in a low tone. 

"Precisely, " said the other. "This document, " he remarked, turningto Mr. Hume, "is not in order. It has not been visaed by theofficers at the sub-stations. "

"But it was initialed by your superior at the coast. "

"It must go back to the sub-stations for endorsement. "

Mr. Hume put a restraint on his temper. "And how long will thattake?"

"Who knows? Perhaps a month. "

"And in the mean time?"

"In the mean time, m'sieur, you will remain our guests. "

"Is there no other way?"

"Monsieur must surrender himself to the unpleasant delay. There isno other way. " "Unless--but m'sieur would not perhaps face theexpense. "

"Explain, gentlemen. "

"There is a special transport for State business, but to call uponthe service for other than State purpose there would be a charge often pounds per day. "

"I see. " Mr. Hume saw that these gentlemen wished to make money outof him. "Very good. I will myself go to the sub-stations by yourspecial transport, and if the Governor says the charge isreasonable, I will pay on my return. I think that will meet thematter. "

But it did not at all meet the matter, and the junior officer atonce informed his senior that unhappily the special transport hadthat very morning developed a leak in the boiler. 

There followed an embarrassing delay. The authorities waited for Mr. Hume to make a business-like proposal, but the hunter remainedgrimly silent. The two officers whispered. 

"Observe, m'sieur, " said the senior, clearing his throat, "mycolleague suggests a middle way. If you will place sum demanded bythe State in these cases, in the nature of a surety for good faith, we may permit you and your friends to proceed. "

"My servant also?"

"Your servant?"

"The man you have bound. "

"Ohe! Pardon, m'sieur; you are not aware that he is an offenderagainst the laws--a notorious criminal. He will be detained andtried. "

"I will remain to attend his trial, unless a sum will secure hisfreedom also?"

"There is a price on his bead. "

"Offered by the slave-hunters?"

The shot went home. The officers had been hand in glove with thelawless traders, but they did not want the matter bruited about bymeddlesome Englishmen. They scowled. 

"He has broken the peace, " said the senior, sharply; "he has slainthe servants of the State. Am I to understand that you claim to behis master, responsible for his conduct?"

"No, m'sieur, " exclaimed the hunter, quickly, fearing he had gonetoo far, and shifting his ground. "The man is a stranger; do withhim as you please; but as for us, since we are here, we will, withyour permission, make the place our headquarters. We could not be inbetter hands. "

"You wish to wait for another steamer while your passports arevisaed?"

"We will proceed in our own boat, which we would put together. "

"Ah, you have a little boat?"

"A very small boat, m'sieur, with barely room for four men. Weshould be honoured to have your opinion on its qualities, and alsoupon our stores and their suitability. "

Venning looked at Mr. Hume with puzzled eyes. He could notunderstand his callous abandonment of Muata. 

"But, " he began, "we cannot----"

"I think it is an excellent place, " said Compton, quickly; "andperhaps these gentlemen would be good enough to assist us withadvice out of their great experience. "

"We should be delighted, " said Mr. Hume, politely. 

The senior officer stroked his huge moustache with an air of renewedimportance. 

"There are two spare rooms in my little house, " murmured the junior--"one for the stores, the other for sleeping quarters. "

"It is understood, " said Mr. Hume, "that we pay rent, and also thatwe pay for the protection you may afford us. I insist on that, messieurs. "

The senior nodded a dignified assent, but he was not quite won over, and retired to his quarters, while his junior inspected the landingof the goods, including the sections of the boat. In the afternoon, however, after his nap, the senior succumbed to the influence of agood cigar, and condescended to sample some of the stores. He waseven pleased to crack a few jokes over the novel machinery forworking the screw of the Okapi by levers, and in the evening heinvited Mr. Hume to a friendly game of cards, thoughtfully includingin his invitation a bottle of brandy and a box of cigars, for, saidhe, he wished to wash out the execrable taste of the everlastingmanioc. 

All the day Muata stood bound to a post in the square, the centralfigure of a ring of squatting natives, who chewed manioc anddiscussed his approaching fate with much satisfaction. 

He was there, an erect, stoical figure, when the boys sought theirroom in the little thatched house--a room bare of furniture, dividedfrom the next compartment by hanging mats of native make. 

"It's a beastly shame, " said Venning, for about the fourth time, ashe stared out at the black faces reflected in the blazing log-fires. 

"What is a shame?" asked Compton, who was inspecting the partitionbefore seeking his hammock. 

"You know well enough. Not a soul stands by the chief; even hisjackal bolted as soon as he jumped ashore. "

"Because Muata ordered him. He is probably watching from the dark. "

"All the worse for us, then. I never thought Mr. Hume would haveknuckled down so easily. Hark at him shouting over the game. "

"What is the game, do you think?"

"Cards, " snorted Venning, in disgust. 

"So! Queer sort of partition this;" and Compton moved the mat aside. "No need for doors, you see. Hulloa! Who are you?"

"Me Zanzibar boy, master, " exclaimed a soft, oily voice. 

"Then clear out. "

"Me put here watch my master--see black fellows no steal. "

"Oh, I see. Chuck a cake of tobacco, Venning. Here! You like that?"

"Ver good, " said the boy, reaching out a yellow hand for thetobacco. 

Venning crossed over and peered into the other room. "You boy, " hesaid, "tell me, what will they do to Muata?"

The Zanzibari chuckled. "You want know, eh?"

"We don't care. One black fellow does not matter, " said Compton, coolly. 

"You brute!" muttered Venning, but stopped as Compton's hand grippedhim. 

The Zanzibari chuckled again. "What you give, eh, if cut loose thatMuata?"

"What do you say?"

"You pay me? Good. In night Muata is loose. He run up river. Bymbymaster go along in little boat, pick Muata up, eh? What you pay?"and the boy chuckled softly. 

"Suppose I tell your white master, you rascal?"

"Wow! You tell, they kill poor Zanzibar boy. "

"Then clear out, " said Compton, launching a kick; "and if I see anymore of you I will tell. "

The boy turned sulky. "Me guard--me stay. "

"You go, " said Compton, "or I will call your masters, and let themdeal with you. "

Growling under his breath, the self-styled "guard" slunk soft-footedout of the room. Compton struck a match and looked around theapartment, then turned to Venning with a grin. 

"That is the game, " he whispered. 

"I think I understand, " Venning replied softly. "That fellow wastesting you?"

Compton nodded. 

"And you think Mr. Hume has not forgotten Muata?"

"I am sure he has not. "

They crept into their hammocks, but not to sleep, and they were wideawake when Mr. Hume entered noisily some two hours later. 

"To-morrow night, " he shouted boisterously. 

"With pleasure, and the night after, for good visitors are rare, "called the Belgian. 

"And good hosts also. Touching those two men you promised as thecrew for my boat?"

"They will be here to-morrow evening, " said the senior officer, thrusting a head round the mat. "Ah, you are comfortable, eh? Yes, Isent a messenger to Hassan's camp by the vessel which brought you. Rest well. "

"They are good fellows, these Arabs, " said Mr. Hume, withenthusiasm--"good fellows. I remember once----"

"To-morrow night, " said the officer, as he withdrew, laughing. 

Mr. Hume hummed cheerfully as he prepared for bed, taking no noticeof his young comrades, who were regarding him with silentdisfavour. With one yawn after another he blew out the light, andstruggled into his hammock, to fall asleep almost at once. 

Venning's uneasiness returned. He tossed restlessly, listening tothe unaccustomed noises from without, and as the hours went by, andat last the sound of talking about the fires died off in a lazydrone, the desire to see what had become of Muata was too strong toresist. Softly he lowered himself to the earth-floor, but, soft ashe moved, others had heard. 

"Are the mosquitoes troublesome?"

Venning started at the deep voice so unexpected. "I did not know youwere awake, sir. "

"I sleep very lightly my boy. "

"As you are awake, sir, I would like to say----"

But he stopped as the mat rustled. 

"Come in, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Me guard, great master"--in the same soft, oily tones Venning hadheard before. "Hear noise. Think may be thieves. "

"Mosquitoes, not thieves, " said Mr. Hume, quietly. "Bring a light. "

The Zanzibar boy complied, and, holding a taper above his head, looked not for mosquitoes, but at the rifles in the corner. 

"The skeeters, master, " he muttered, with an evil squint at Compton, who was blinking at the light. 

"Better get back into your hammock, Venning. You can go, boy; andkeep a good watch, for we are coming to the thieves' hour. "

The man showed his white teeth in a grin as he withdrew. 

"Don't stir from your hammocks until I do, " said Mr. Hume, verysternly, in a whisper; then louder, "Good night, Venning. "

"Good night, sir, " said Venning, convinced that the master was aliveto the game, and more easy in his mind. 

As he dropped off to sleep he heard the wail of a jackal, and nexthe was awakened by the sound of a native chanting. It was alreadydaybreak, and Mr. Hume stood on the verandah, having drawn the matsaside. 

The sun, striking under the thatch, shone on the hunter's tawny hairand beard, and Venning wondered how for a moment he could havedoubted the courage of a man with such a lion-like head. But he wasto receive another shock. 

"Silence, dog!" roared the hunter, addressing the singer, evidently. 

Compton, who was sitting on his hammock dressing, looked out. 

"By Jove, " he muttered, "he's shouting at Muata!"

Venning jumped down to the floor and looked out. Muata was stillbound to the post, and, with his face to the sun, was chanting hiswords of greeting or of farewell in tones that lacked the deepchest-notes of his war-cry. 

One of the natives, hearing the order of the white man, flung astick at the chief with an insult; but Muata, nothing heeding, sangon his slow song in a voice that was almost like a woman's. 

"Must white men lose their sleep because a robber is to die?" roaredthe hunter again. 

Venning snatched up a beaker of water and ran out barefooted. Heheld the water to the chiefs mouth. Muata turned his smoulderingeyes on the boy, sucked in a mouthful of the water, and then shot itout over Venning's outstretched arm. 

Venning dropped the mug, and went back with a red face to see thetwo officers regarding him with sour faces. 

"Serve you right, " shouted Mr. Hume, in apparent fury. "When willyou learn to treat a black like the brute he is?"

"Quite so, " said the senior officer, showing himself. "I am glad tofind you have no ridiculous sentiment. "

"Ah! good morning, my friend, " said Mr. Hume, heartily. "As for myyoung comrade, you must pardon him. "

"He has his lesson, " said the officer, dryly, as he pointed to thesoaked pyjama. 

"The man woke me with his singing. I have seen men shot for lessthan that. "

"In good time, " said the officer, with a sinister look, "theaccusers will be here to-night, and to-morrow"--he made a gesture--"to-morrow you can also choose the two men you need for your boat'screw. "

After breakfast, Mr. Hume had an opportunity of speaking without thefear of being overheard, for they finished putting the Okapitogether, and worked her out by the levers into the river, where shegleamed in the sun. 

"I dare say you think I am a brute, " he said, "and I don't blameyou; but if we mean to save Muata's life, we must appear to bealtogether indifferent to his fate. Those men are keeping a closewatch on us. "

"I know it, " said Compton. 

"You do, eh?"

"That Zanzibar boy was spying on us last night before you came, andhe tried to get us to bribe him to free Muata. "

"I hope you were not so foolish as to fall into the trap?" said thehunter, sharply. 

"I kicked him out of the place, " said Compton. "I told Venning youwere playing a game for Muata's life. "

"You did me justice?" said Mr. Hume, with his gaze on Venning. 

"It seemed to me terrible to leave him without a word ofencouragement, " said the boy; "but I am awfully sorry I doubted you, sir. "

"You don't now, eh? Well, that's all right, and I think the chiefknows too. That is why he spouted the water over you. "

"A strange way of showing his gratitude, " laughed the boy, with areddening face at the thought of the outrage. 

"Not so strange. He saw the Belgians, and did it to put them offtheir guard. "

"That ought to help us in our plans for his escape. "

"We have plans, have we?"

"You have, " said Compton, confidently; "and your plan is our plan. "

"Thank you, " said the hunter, quietly. "If the plan is to succeed, it must work to-night. I do not fear these people here, but I mustsay I fear the Arabs who are expected this evening. "

"I understand that you will choose two of those Arabs as boatmen?"

"The Belgians have arranged that, Compton, not I. Have you anysuggestions to offer?"

"I think, sir, that we should get all our things stored in the boatto-day, " said Venning. 

"Eight; and then?"

"And then, " said Venning, his face all alight with ardour--"andthen--why, sir, then you shoot one of the hippos over there on thatlittle island. Shoot two; and while all the people in the villageare cutting them up for a great feed, we could free Muataundetected. "

"That is not so bad, " said Compton, judiciously. 

"Not at all, " said Mr. Hume. "But when Muata is free, what is tobecome of him--suppose, that is, he can get away unobserved?"

"I have it, " said Compton. "The Zanzibar spy suggested it. Let Muatawait for us up the river, and we will pick him up. "

Mr. Hume stroked his beard for some moments in silence. 

"We'll, try that plan, " he said finally; "but don't show anyexcitement. The native, remember, is a very keen observer. Now pullthe boat in. "

CHAPTER VI

THE FLIGHT

In the afternoon the village hummed with excitement. The word hadgone round that the new white man who had shot the crocodile wouldgive a feast, and the people squatted in rows on the bank watching acouple of their stalwart fellows preparing a canoe for an expeditionafter the river-horse. When Mr. Hume appeared with his Express incompany with the Belgian officers, who were indifferent sportsmen, the people saluted him with a feeling of gratitude for favours tocome in the shape of fat meat. 

"Good luck, " said the junior officer, "but I back the animals; theyare very wary and very fierce. "

"What is the betting?" cried the hunter. 

"Oh no, my friend!" exclaimed the senior. "Keep your money for to-night; and don't drown yourself. We must have one game, you know. "

"Very well. By the way, Compton?"

"Yes, sir. "

"You and Venning may as well amuse yourselves by getting the storeson board in case we leave to-morrow. "

"That depends on how the game goes, " replied the officer. "If youwin, we must keep you for a return match. "

"That is only fair. But I may lose; so, my lads, go on with thepacking. "

The boat went off up the river hugging the banks, and the wholevillage sat down to watch the stalk, all but a few who went to andfro between Venning at the house and Compton in the boat, carryingthe stores. The two officers turned in, with mats drawn, to enjoytheir siesta, and the guards on duty sought the shade of the treesby the bank to watch the hunt. 

The hunt was not a matter to be decided out of hand, by a swiftpaddle straight up to the sand-bank in the river, and a chance shot. 

The canoe crept up slowly and passed out of sight. The old huntersin the watching crowd took counsel together, and then the chief ofthem announced what would happen. The "slayer of crocodiles" would, he declared, get above the island and then slowly descend with thecurrent upon the river-horse. 

"May he shoot straight and his powder be strong, " shouted a river-man; "for it is the father of bulls who sleeps there--he who haseaten many canoes. "

"It is the same, " said the old hunter; and, taking a pinch of snuff, he began to tell the deeds of the old bull hippo. 

So the drowsy afternoon passed lazily away to the watchers, andwearily to the white boys. Their thoughts were in the canoe, and, moreover, they were irritated by the slowness of the men who carriedthe parcels. No man would carry more than one package at a time, andafter each journey he sat down to rest and discuss the chances forand against the feast. 

When the shadows were creeping across the deserted square--desertedsave for the man bound to the post, Venning for the hundredth timelooked across with an aching desire to rush over and cut the bonds. As his eyes ranged sadly over the bronzed figure, he detected amovement in the shadow of a hut opposite. Looking more attentively, he saw the round ears of a jackal, and then made out the sharp faceresting between the outstretched paws, and the yellow eyes fixedintently on the chief. 

Muata lifted his head slowly, as if it were top heavy for themuscles of his neck, and his gaze went sideways to see if anywatched. 

Venning nodded eagerly from the shelter of the room; made a movementwith his hands as if he were cutting; pointed up the river andspread his arms like a swimmer. 

Muata let fall his head again, with his chin on his naked breast;and the carriers ranged up for the last load. A shout from the bankmade them hurry. Several people who had gone to see about theirfires rushed, yelling, across the square to the bank. 

"It was as I said, " shouted the old black hunter. "See where hecreeps down-stream on the bull. " "Wow! he has hidden the canoe inleaves. It is as a tree floating. "

"Ow ay, we smell meat!" sang a big man, stamping his feet. 

"We smell meat--red meat, fat meat; the red meat of the fat cow forthe women; the tough meat of the old bull for the men;" and thewomen clapped their hands. 

The Belgian officers were awakened, and stepped out of theirdarkened rooms. They found the village empty, save for Venningstooping over his last parcel, and Muata at his post with whatlooked like a yellow native our lying at his feet. 

"The bull opens his mouth!" chanted the old hunter. "He wakes fromhis sleep! There is the smell of man on the wind! He looks around!He sees a tree borne on the current! He will surely eat lead!"

Venning picked up his parcel and followed the officers. Out of thecomer of his eye he saw the seeming yellow cur lift its head andsmell at the thongs which were bound about the prisoner's legs. Thenhe hurried on. 

"Wow! the bull drives, the cow into the water. He is cunning. Ow ay, he knows. "

"What does he know, old talker?" asked one of the officers. 

"The cow is fat, " laughed the old man. "The hunter would shoot thefat cow first, and so the bull makes her take the risk. He is wise. "

"He is shameless!" screamed the women. 

"See them?" said Compton, offering his glasses to Venning andpointing up-stream. 

Far up Venning saw three dark objects on the shining glance of thevast river. One, the canoe fringed with branches, slowly driftingupon the other two, raised but a few feet above the water on agleaming yellow sand island. One hippo, with its huge head swinging, was standing up, looking not unlike an overfed prize pig. Then theother rose, and the two walked towards the water. 

"Wow! the old bull keeps on the safe side. I said it; he is wise. "

"Shameless!" cried the women. 

"Wherefore does the crocodile-slayer delay? Surely he knows the bodywill sink in the river if it reach the water. "

"The smoke! He fires!"

"The cow is down! To the boats children--to the boats!"

Men and boys made a rush, and, out of a tremendous uproar ofsplashing and shouting, half a dozen canoes were flying at fullspeed for the cow's meat, altogether indifferent to the futureproceedings. 

"The smoke again! The bull has it! He is down; he is up; he is inthe water! Wow! Look out, O 'slayer of crocodiles!'"

"But the cow lies still!" cried a woman, anxiously. 

"Oh ay, there will be meat for the feast. But what of your man inthe canoe if the bull seize him?"

"It is his risk, " said the woman, calmly. 

Venning dropped the glass, and he and Compton stood looking from theisland to the old hunter, who seemed to know every point in the gamebetter than they could follow through the glasses. 

"Ah, it is well. They tear the branches from the canoe. They rowstraight for the island. The white man jumps--the men tumble out--wow-wow!--the bull takes the canoe in his jaws. It will go hard withthose who go for the meat if he get among them. "

"The white man leaps in the water!" shouted another. "But he holdshis gun above him. He reaches the sand; the others crawl up also. They run! I do not see the bull!"

"There are crocodiles!" shrilled a woman, pointing with an armheavily ringed with brass bangles. 

"This is not their fight, mother. "

"But they will take our meat. "

"It is the bull I think of. " "Will he meet the canoes, or will heface the three on the island? The white man sees the canoes; hewaves them to go back, but they smell meat; they keep on. " "What isthis? He points his gun at them. They stop; they turn back. "

"A pity, " said one of the officers, with a grin. "We should haveseen sport. "

"But the sport is not over, " said the other. "I back the bull. Remember how he put you to flight, my friend. What is the meaning ofthis, old man?"--this to a hunter. 

"Surely, O great one, it means one thing. The white man is afraidthe canoes would draw the bull away. He wishes the bull to land--toattack him. "

"More fool he, ay, my friend, " said the officer, with a sneer. 

"One of the men on the island is pointing, " said Compton, who hadtaken up the glasses again. "I see something in the water where thecanoe went down. "

"I said it, " shouted the old black; "the bull will fight. Stand, fast, O white man, for it is either you or he. "

Those watching saw the bull land and hurl himself with amazingswiftness at Mr. Hume. 

"Why doesn't he shoot?" yelled Compton. 

"Wow! the white man springs aside. The bull squeals; he staggers; heis down. Behind the ear. I say it. There the bullet went in. Therewill be much meat. " The old man took snuff, and cast a proud lookaround as if he alone had done the deed. 

"By Jove!" muttered Venning, wiping his forehead. "It seemed a nearsqueak. "

The two officers went back to their cool rooms, and the crowd brokeup, the women and children going off dancing to collect firewood. The little fleet of canoes descended on the island, and in a fewminutes the carcasses were hidden by bands of naked men, who slashedand cut, while crocodiles, attracted by the blood, appeared from alldirections. In a very short time the fleet returned, and Mr. Hume, standing in a heavily laden craft, ran a greater risk than when hefaced the savage old bull, for the gunwales were flush with thewater, and the men were utterly reckless as they dashed along at thehead of the flotilla. 

As the men leapt ashore, women seized the meat, and the village atonce entered upon the wild orgy of the feast, forgetting Mr. Humeand all else in the one desire to start their jaws on the half-cooked flesh. 

"Is all aboard?" asked Mr. Hume, as he jumped ashore. 

"Everything, " said Compton. "We watched your shot, sir; it wassplendid. "

"Well, that part of the plan has gone off all right. It will be amore difficult job to free Muata and get away ourselves. "

Venning described how he had seen the jackal approach the chief, andas he and Mr. Hume went into the village, leaving Compton in theboat, they cast an anxious glance at the square already agleam withfires in the growing dusk. Muata was still at the post, his headdrooping and his body relaxed. 

"That's bad, " muttered the hunter; "he looks quite exhausted. "

"Perhaps he's shamming. "

"Let us hope so. In any case we may have to wait until pastmidnight, as I am afraid our hosts will not let me off. It would bebetter if we could get away early. "

Fortune favoured them, for as the Zanzibar boy approached with amessage from the officers, there arose the sound of rifle-shots fromthe forest beyond. The people in the square shouted a reply, andpresently a party of men, dressed in long white robes, appeared. They halted in the square, and the leader came on alone. He stoopedto stare into the face of Muata as he passed, then approached. 

"Welcome, Hassan! My people are feasting; thanks to the skill of myfriend here;" and the Belgian who had come forward indicated Mr. Hume. 

The Arab peered into Mr. Hume's face and salaamed, with an evilsmile on his wide, thin-lipped mouth. 

"I am thankful, " he said in the native dialect, "for your kindnessin bringing back my slave"--pointing towards Muata. 

"It was a small thing, " said Mr. Hume. 

"But it pleases me; and when you reach my zareba, all that is mineto command is yours. "

He looked at Venning, and the boy noticed that the pupils of theeyes had a white speck, which gave to them a sinister appearance. 

"Good, " said the Belgian. "We will have a night. Pardon me for ashort time while I discuss a little matter touching the reward forMuata with my friend Hassan. "

The two went off, the Arab casting a ferocious look back at thechief. 

Venning tugged at the hunter's arm. "Look, " he whispered. 

Muata was slipping down the post, as if his legs had utterly givenway. The party of new-comers were stacking their arms at the"indaba" house at the end of the square, and the village people weretalking, laughing, and eating. Muata reached the ground, but not ina state of collapse, for the next instant the two watchers saw himcrawl to the shadow of a hut, where he remained as if stretching hislimbs. 

"Come, " said Mr. Hume, in a fierce whisper, recovering from hissurprise; and the two went swiftly to the river. 

Compton had already cast off and was holding by the boat-hook. 

"Bring her in. "

The Okapi ran her stern into the bank, and the two stepped aboard, Mr. Hume going forward to the wheel, with his rifle in his hand. 

"Shove her off; run as silently as you can out of hearing, and thenwork the levers. "

Compton looked inquiringly at Venning as he picked up the oars, andthen at the village, from which came a loud babble. 

"Is he free already?"

Venning nodded. 

"Good;" and then they bent themselves to the oars with every nerveon the quiver, and their eyes on the shore. 

"Stop! Back-water!"

Obediently they stopped the way of the boat and backed her, wondering what had gone wrong. A turn of the wheel sent them inamong the canoes. There was a flash of steel, a plunge of the strongarm down into the boats, accompanied by a ripping noise. Then thehunter waded ashore, and with his great hunting-knife ripped up theboats lying on the bank. Quickly he was back at his place. 

"Now, off!"

Again they pushed off, the boys with their excitement increasingafter this interlude, which showed them the imminence of danger. Afew long strokes took the Okapi well out; then she was put aboutwith her nose up-stream. 

"The levers now, my lads!"

They perched themselves on the saddle-seats, and at the clanking ofthe levers the beautiful craft slipped swiftly up-stream. 

Then out of the dark there rose the mournful howl of a jackal, almost instantly replied to by a similar call at a distance. 

"The chief calling to his jackal, " said Mr. Hume. "Thank Heaven, hehas got away. Now I will let him know we are also off;" and he, too, gave the jackal hunting-cry. 

Back out of the darkness came the chief's exultant war-cry, and onit a furious shout from the village, followed by the discharge of arifle, and the rolling alarm of a war-drum. Then shone out the glareof torches at the river bank, and a savage yell announced that themen had discovered the injury done to the canoes. 

One of the purchases made in London had been a lamp with very finereflectors. This Mr. Hume fixed on a movable bracket within reach ofhis arm as he sat at the wheel, and when the lights at the villagefaded astern, he lit the lamp, in order to thread a passage by itslight through the dark waters. As the noise of shouting, thedrumming, and the report of fire-arms died down, other soundsreached their strained hearing--the booming of the Congo bittern, the harsh roar of a bull crocodile, and the cries of water-birds. 

Then Venning laughed--a little short nervous laugh. "We have doneit, " he said. 

"We have, indeed, " said Compton. 

"But if we can only pick up Muata and his jackal, we should be allright. Just a nice party. "

The rudder-chains clanked; the boat set up a heavy wash as sheturned from her course. There was a splashing, and somethingsnorted almost in Venning's face. 

"Nearly ran into a hippo!" sang out Mr. Hume. "We must keep out intomid-river; it's too risky inshore. Tell me when you are tired. "

"We're quite fresh yet, " replied Compton. "It is easier thansculling. "

"Moves like clockwork, " said Venning, gaily. "I could keep on allnight. "

"We'll have to keep on all night and all to-morrow, " muttered Mr. Hume; and in a few minutes he relieved Compton, making him put on aheavy coat before taking the wheel. "It's the chill that isdangerous. In an hour you will relieve Venning. "

Turn and turn the boys relieved each other at intervals, but Mr. Hume swang to his lever till the dawn, when the mast was stepped, the sail spread, and the spirit-lamp got out for the making ofcoffee. After breakfast the awning was spread, the mosquito curtainsstretched round, and the boys were ordered to sleep. They demurredat first, but the hunter rather sharply insisted, and no sooner werethey stretched on the rugs than they were asleep. The yoke had beenslipped over the rudder, and, using the lines, Mr. Hume sailed theOkapi single-handed, taking her across the lake-like width till hewas under the wooded hills of the south bank, where he beat aboutfor an hour or so in the hope that Muata might have covered thedistance at the native's trotting-pace. It was, he told himself, notlikely, however, that the chief could have done so, after being forhours bound to a post; and after a time he beat out again into mid-stream afar off, so that no village natives should spy upon thecraft. He did not share in the triumph of his young companions. Toowell he knew that they had risked everything by their secretdeparture; but he could not see that any other course was open tothem, as if they had remained it would have been difficult for themto prove that they were not concerned in Muata's escape. He knew, too, that if he had abandoned the chief, as the price of security, the boys would have lost all faith in him. 

What, however, he did feel was, that the responsibility rested onhim. If a mistake had been made it was his mistake, and if the boyssuffered from it the blame would be his. 

So he beat out into mid-stream, where the sail of the low-lyingcraft would be but a speck when viewed from the shore, and with abeam wind laid her on a course which she kept almost dead straight, with a tack at long intervals only. In the shade of the awning theboys slept the dreamless sleep of the healthy, and he let them sleepon till the sun stood almost above the mast, sending down a blazethat scorched. Then he beached the Okapi on the shelving shore of asand-spit, without vegetation of any kind to give shelter tomosquitoes, and awoke them. 

"All hands to bathe!" he shouted; and the three of them were soonin, and no sooner in than out; for, according to the hunter, thevirtue of a bathe was not in long immersion, but in friction. "Withtheir heads well protected, but their bodies bare to the sun, thefriction was obtained by rubbing handfuls of the dry, clean sandover limbs and body till the skin glowed. 

"Now I will snatch a few winks while you work the levers, until thewind springs up again. "

Mr. Hume stretched himself forward under the awning after unstoppingthe mast; and the two friends, after tossing a bucket of water overthe canvas awning, took their seats, clad in pyjamas and body-beltsonly, and bent gaily to the levers which "click-clanked" merrily. Their feet were naked, for Mr. Hume had taught the lesson that thefeet should be cool and the head protected; their arms were bare tothe elbow, of a fine mahogany hue; their movements were brisk; butthe best evidence of health was in the clearness of their eyes. Fever shows its touch in the "gooseberry" eye, dull and clouded; inthe moist pallor of the skin, and in a general listlessness. Even ifthey are free from fever, white men in Central Africa often growlistless because of insufficient nutriment. Their flesh-diet ischiefly the white meat of birds, and their blood-cells are reallystarved by the small amount of nitrogenous matter. A deficient dietin its turn is a frequent cause of diarrhoea and constipation, twoof the most common complaints among new chums. In his huntingexpeditions Mr. Hume had learnt his lesson from experience, and heaccordingly was a martinet on the rules of health. All the drinking-water was first boiled. The boys could wear as little as they likedduring the heat of the day, so long as they protected their headsand necks, but on the approach of evening they had to get into warmand dry under-garments; they had to keep a sharp watch for thestriped "anophele" mosquito, were taught to spray the puncture, ifthey were tapped by the mosquito lancet, with chloride of ethyl, andhad to submit occasionally to a hypodermic injection of quinine. Thenitrogen they got from condensed meat juices. 

"This is very much more like what I expected, " said Venning, lookingfrom the broad river to the distant wooded banks, and from the darkforest to the blue sky. 

"I can see two string of duck, a whole crowd of ibis on a littleisland, a crocodile and a hippo. "

Compton, who was facing the stern, glanced over his shoulder, thendirected his gaze aft again. 

"We seem to be traveling slowly, " he growled. 

"There's no hurry, is there?"

Compton raised his head a little, and looked under the shelter of ahand. 

"They're coming, " he said briefly. 

"Eh?" Venning stopped, and looked back. The water glimmered underthe sun like a vast silver sheet. "I can see nothing. "

"Don't you see a dark smudge. Well, that is the smoke from asteamer. I thought at first it came from a land-fire. But it doesnot. Send her along. "

Venning quickened up, and for some minutes pedals and levers workedat almost racing speed. 

"We cannot keep this up. Give him a call!" Venning shouted, and Mr. Hume looked round. 

"Bid you call?"

"They are after us, " and Venning jerked his head back, while stillbending to his work. 

The hunter loosened the canvas awning, and stood up for a long lookaft. Then he faced about, and threw a quick glance up-river. 

"Keep her straight for that wooded island, " he said, pointing aheadtowards the south bank; and Venning pulled the steering-line toplace the Okapi on a new course. 

Mr. Hume took in the awning and packed it away. "Now, my lads, " hesaid, "we'll just face the position. That's the fort launch racingup, and she could overhaul us in two hours. If we surrender weshould be safe from violence, but they would probably confiscate ourboat or detain us for weeks. If we resist they would be justified inrunning us down. What shall we do?"

"Escape, " said Compton. 

"Of course, " Venning chimed in. 

"By attempting to escape, " continued Mr. Hume, "we as good as admitthat we aided and abetted Muata, and, if captured, they would makeit harder for us. "

"At any rate, we meant to free Muata. "

"Besides, we must escape, " said Compton, with determination. 

The perspiration was rolling off their faces, for, as soon as theyworked at high pressure, they felt the pull of the screw. 

"Come forward, both of you, " said Mr. Hume, rolling up his sleeves. "Compton, you take the wheel, and Venning, you get out the guns. "

They obeyed him, and he, kneeling on the aft-deck between the twolevers, grasped one in either hand, and got more speed out of theOkapi than they had by their united efforts. The muscles stood outlike ropes on his brawny arms, and the levers smoked in the slots. 

"Keep her to the north of the island. "

The boat hummed along, drew up to the nose of the island, skirtedits reedy side, where stood a hippo eating at the rank grass, andthen dropped it astern. 

"Good, " said Mr. Hume, with a great grunt of satisfaction, as heswept his eyes over the river. 

"See those dark spots ahead? They must be the first of the thousandislands that stretch away right up to the Loanda river. If we canget into them we are safe. "

"Can I help?" asked Venning, having set out the rifles in the well, with the ammunition handy. 

"Whistle for a wind. That's all. Fix your eyes on the islands, Compton, and slip in where they are thickest. "

"Ay, ay, " muttered Compton, frowning under the stress of hisexcitement. 

Venning searched for the field-glasses, and as the island they hadpassed sank low astern, he swept the river for sign of the pursuinglaunch. 

"By Jove!" he muttered, with a start. 

"Well?"

"She has shifted her course. I can see the white of her hull rightunder the trees on the south bank. "

"She must have gained a lot, then, " grunted Mr. Hume, "if you cansee her hull. "

"She's making out again. Perhaps she put in to speak a nativevillage, and maybe they have not seen us; we are low in the water. "

"They'll see us soon enough. Tell me when she passes the island wejust left. "

"She's making across. No, she's turning. Ah, now she's pointingstraight for us. I can see several people in her bows. "

"Now turn your glasses on the islands ahead. "

Venning turned round, and looked up-stream. 

"Is the launch nearer than the islands?"

"I can see a stork standing on the edge of the water. The first ofthe islands is nearest. " He turned again to watch the launch. "There is more smoke--they are stoking up. "

The launch was unquestionably coming up hand over hand, and it wasnot long before Venning could see the foam at her bows, and the flagof the Congo Free State flying at her stern. Then he saw a ball ofsmoke. 

"She is firing!" he yelled. 

Compton never took his eyes off the little cluster of reeds aheadthat marked the first of the thousand islands. 

"Keep her going!" he shouted. 

Mr. Hume smiled grimly, for he was doing the work of two men. 

"They are loading the gun!" cried Venning. "Oh, if I only couldhelp!" He buttoned and unbuttoned his coat, then picked up thesculls, and fell to rowing with fierce energy. "The smoke!" hecried. Then, a moment later, "What's that noise?" as a menacingsound with a shrieking whistle to it smote on his ears. 

There was no need for an answer. The shot struck the water about ahundred yards short, and skipped by, wide of the Okapi, but stilltoo near to be pleasant. 

"Keep on!" shouted Compton, fiercely. 

The levers clanked furiously, and Venning, who had suspended hissculling under the menace of the shot, tugged again at his work. 

The steam-whistle of the launch sounded a series of sharp, jerkycalls, followed by the firing of a Mauser bullet. Venning's heartwas pumping blood at express speed under the violence of hisefforts, and his eyes in a wild stare were fixed on the approachingcraft, which had now brought its living freight within recognizabledistance. He could distinguish the two Belgian officers and theswart face of the Arab chief, Hassan. He could see the men withrifles, aiming, as it seemed, straight at him, and then he duckedhis head as he saw the smoke once more belch from the seven-pounder. At the same moment he was nearly capsized by the sudden swerve ofthe Okapi, as she almost turned on her keel. The shot struck thewater so close that the spray drenched them. Compton looked roundand shouted aloud--

"They're aground! Hurrah!"

Venning, recovering himself, saw the men on the launch hurled to thedeck. 

"Hurray!" he shouted. 

"Keep on!" shouted Compton; and, after another five minutes' burst, the Okapi swept behind one island and passed in between two others. "Now, " he said, "give me the levers. "

"You're welcome, " said Mr. Hume, wiping the moisture from his browand taking a huge breath. 

He went forward to the wheel, and threaded the Okapi through narrowpassages between islands of all shapes and sizes, until after havinggot into such a fastness as would be impracticable for the launch toreach, he ran the boat on a shelving sandbank. Then, before anythingelse was attempted, the awning was fixed, and they settled down fora needed rest. Next the boys smacked each other on the back. 

"Was it by accident or design, Compton, that you led them into theshallows?"

"I saw we could not reach the shelter of the island, and was feelingbad, when I caught a ripple on the water to the right. I edged theOkapi on after the first ball shot was fired, and as we drew nearerI was sure there was a long sandbank. When I made that sharp turn asthe second shot was fired, I could see the outline of the bank justunder water, and turned to avoid it. "

"It was a mercy you altered our course just at that moment, Compton. "

"Wasn't it? It was touch and go. We stood to be run down or knockedinto smithereens in another minute;" and Venning shook Compton'shand. 

"Did you see them go over like ninepins, " laughed Compton, "whenthey struck? But I'm not claiming any credit, you know. If it hadnot been for Mr. Hume----"

"We all did our share, " said the hunter, "and we have every cause tobe thankful; but we must not imagine that the chase is over. "

CHAPTER VII

THE THOUSAND ISLANDS

They shoved off again, and Compton, being the least tired, took thesculls and pushed on slowly in search of an anchorage for the night. They passed many likely places, but Mr. Hume had one objection oranother to them, and the spot that finally satisfied him was a smallwooded island flanked by others of larger size, and so placed thatif they were menaced from any side there would be an opening forescape in the opposite direction. The channel into which theysteered was so narrow that the branches of the trees joinedoverhead, and when they tied up, the Okapi was completely hidden. Before forcing their way into the leafy tunnel, they had taken downthe awning, but now, after having broken away many branches, theyrefixed the canvas roof and drew the mosquito-curtains round, afterwhich they sought out and killed all the insect pests that remainedwithin the nets. There was no danger in showing a light, andaccordingly the lantern was hung amidships, the spirit-lamp lit, toprepare a nourishing and at the same time "filling" soup. They madea hearty meal, got into warmer clothing, oiled the rifle-barrels, arranged their rugs, and prepared for the night, which came on themwith a rush, heralded by the noise of birds seeking their accustomedroosting-places. Such an uproar the boys had not before heard. Itseemed as if the Zoological Gardens had emptied its noisiestinhabitants. Parrots flew across the river, every one talking atthe top of its voice, while colonies of ibis croaked out the news ofthe day in gruff, discordant notes; cranes flying laboriously, withlong legs trailing, emitted their deep "honks;" frogs lifted uptheir voices from out the reeds, and at intervals came the boomingcry of the shovel-beaked bittern, and the harsh, baboon-like bark ofthe green-crested toucan. The noise of the home-going of the wingedmultitudes ceased as the night drew its black mantle over the river. 

Out of the spell of silence there grew presently other voices, softwhisperings, deep sighings; mysterious sounds telling of thingsstealthy and oppressed by the stillness; abrupt splashings thatstartled by their suddenness: grunts, rumblings, and the roar ofbull crocodiles. It must not, however, be supposed that there was acontinuous succession of sounds. Each noise had its own place, andthere would be often long intervals between one sound and another. 

Venning, who had the first watch, found this out. He would hear astartling splash, followed by a snort and the snap of jaws; then allwould be quiet for several minutes, when, from another direction, would come perhaps a heavy sigh; then another interval of silence, again a splash, and so on until the impression grew on him that thebeasts and reptiles who made the noises were working slowly towardshim in a circle. 

It was his first night on guard in the wilderness, and he felt theuneasiness of the hunter who discovers how limited are his sensescompared with those of the wild creatures about him. Man, himselfthe most secret, the most cunning, the most deadly, and, if truthmust be told, the most bloodthirsty, for he kills too often for thelove of killing, is the most helpless in the dark. His sense ofhearing, of sight, and of smell, fail him--thanks to a wiseprovision of Nature in the interests of her other children--for ifman had the eyes of a cat, the nose of a wolf, and the hearing of adeer, he would have cleared the earth of its creatures, who wouldhave had no rest night or day. 

All the time, too, the river talked, as it rolled its great floodalong, sending up a soft volume of song from the innumerable soundsproduced as it washed along the islands and foamed against the rocksof the shores. Presently, down the narrow channel, there came a rushof water which rocked the boat, and next Venning heard close at handa strange noise, which he took to be made by a large animal croppingat the river-grass. He looked about for a weapon, and, picking upthe long boat-hook, lashed his hunting-knife to the iron hook at thetop, converting it into a lance. He had read of hippos swampingboats by seizing the narrow bows or keel in their vast jaws, and hewished to be prepared for a possible attack. Presently the boatagain rocked as another animal took to the water, then the new-comerdislodged the other with a snap of the jaws, and the first, with acomplaining grunt, surged down the channel. Venning could seenothing in the inky blackness, but he knew the beast had seen theOkapi from the short note of alarm it sounded. Immediately the alarmwas repeated. Snorts and splashes arose from all sides. Some greatbeast who had been standing unnoticed within a few yards of theboat, crashed through the bushes into the water with an uproar thatwoke the sleepers. 

"What is it?" cried Compton. 

Mr. Hume made a dart for his rifle. 

The Okapi rocked and heaved, was lifted at the bows to fall backwith a splash. 

"Hippo, " gasped Venning, making a drive with his weapon through themosquito curtains. "Got him!--no!--missed!"

"What's that you've got there, Venning?"

"Sort of harpoon. "

"By gum!" said Mr. Hume, taking the weapon, "I'm glad you missed thebeggar. I would not give much for our chances if he turned crusty inthis place. "

The hippo reappeared aft with a snort, and, much to their relief, continued down the channel into the wider waters. 

"Find the watch pleasant?" asked Compton, sleepily, as Mr. Humeturned in. 

"Awfully cheerful, " said Venning, earnestly; "but I'm not selfish, and you can take your turn at it on the tick of the hour. "

Compton dived for his rugs, and Venning once more returned to hisduties with his harpoon over his knees, and a string of wingedvisitors entering joyously by the hole he had made in the curtain. He pinned his handkerchief over the rent to stop further freeentrance, then made war on those which had entered--an amusementwhich carried him well into the fourth and last hour of the firstwatch. Then he sat up to listen for the old sounds--the groans andthe snorts--but they had ceased. A mist, like a wet blanket, hadsettled down over the Okapi, over the islands and the river; and, though any sounds made on the water were startlingly distinct, confined as the sound-waves were by the mist, the creatures hadevidently gone to sleep. There was, however, one visitor faithful tohim. The light of the lantern, which showed the rolling wreaths ofthe mist, just reached the water, and in the reflection he saw twogreenish points. After long looking, he made out that these were theeyes of a crocodile, whose body was half in and half out of thewater, the tail end of him being anchored on the little island. Ateleven o'clock he roused Compton by dragging at his ankle. 

Compton sat up, rubbed his eyes, and drew his rug over hisshoulders. 

"What's the countersign, comrade?" he asked, with a yawn. 

"Countersign?"

"Yes; when the watch is relieved he has to say something or other, as a guide to the new man. "

"Oh, I see. Well, let me introduce you to the companion of yourwatch. See those green points out there?"

"Yes--like dull glass. "

"That's your new chum. He's been there an hour without moving, andit's no good trying to stare him down. "

"What is it?"

"Crocodile. Good night. Wish you joy;" and Venning crept under hiswaterproof sheet with a sigh of relief. 

Neither of the two boys smoked, taking the advice of Mr. Hume, whopersuaded them that tobacco acted as a poison when used too early, and spoiled good hunting. It lowered the action of the heart, affected the hearing and the sense of smell. In place of a pipe, therefore, Compton found comfort in chewing, not tobacco, but a meatlozenge. As he chewed he watched the two little dull green spots, and the crocodile watched him with the deadly patience that so oftenbrings grist to the mill, or, rather, food to his jaws. 

It was not a pleasant companionship, and Compton, after a longattempt to stare the reptile down, turned his back to it and watchedthe efforts of several large moths to get at the light through themosquito curtains. He could not so much see them as hear them, fromthe way they bumped into the net, and the little soft splash theymade as they dropped into the water. By-and-by there came anothersound, made by some large fish, who had also been attracted by thelight, and then by the fat moths. 

The news that these were good eating quickly spread under water, andpresently there was quite a gathering about the boat. Then Comptonturned to look at his unwelcome watcher. He was still at his post, his eyes still fixed in an unwinking stare, but seemingly brighterthan before. Yes, he was evidently nearer. He was moving! Comptonpicked up the boat-hook with its dagger-ended spear, and preparedfor the attack. Slowly, almost without a ripple, the reptileslithered into the water; then came a rush, a snap of jaws, a swirlof waters, and something heavy and wet came right through themosquito nets, landing in the well of the boat with a tremendouswhack. 

"Look out, " yelled Compton; "keep out of his reach. "

"What the dickens is it now?" roared Mr. Hume, as a series ofresounding thwacks arose out of the well. 

Compton drove his harpoon into the well, and held on like grimdeath, as the impaled thing lashed out to free itself. 

"A crocodile!" he shouted. "I can't hold him down much longer. "

"Crocodile be blowed!" shouted Mr. Hume, unhooking the lantern anddirecting its light into the well. "It's a fish. "

"But, " said Compton, "I saw the crocodile. It came straight for theboat. Venning saw it too. "

"It was over there, " said Venning, peering into the dark. 

"Then the fish must have jumped aboard to escape the crocodile. Anyway, we can have fish-steak for breakfast, " and Mr. Hume quietedthe fish with a blow on the head. 

"I made sure it was the crocodile, " said Compton, in an aggrievedtone. "Look at the hole in the curtains; there'll be tons ofskeeters aboard. "

"You turn in and I'll smoke, " said the hunter, who smoked enough forthree; and, with his pipe filled and lit, he took up the watch. 

Once more the little party settled down to pass the night, and thistime there was no disturbance until, in the chill of the earlymorning, the sleepers were awakened to get in the awning, to makeall shipshape aboard, and to prepare breakfast. The fish was nothandsome-looking, but he cut up into really good steaks, which weregrilled on a gridiron fitted over the stove, and, with hot coffeeand a biscuit apiece, they ate a meal which made them proof againstthe depressing surroundings. 

Both Compton and Venning, as soon as there was light enough, took acareful look around for the crocodile; but though that wily brutewas probably near, he did not show himself. They could, however, seethe track made by the hippo when he had broken through into thewater, and Mr. Hume, stepping ashore, went up this track to spyaround. He returned with the report that the natives were signalingfrom village to village by columns of smoke sent up from fires fedwith damp wood to make a heavy smoke. 

"They will be keeping a sharp look-out, and we had better remainhere. "

"It seems to me, " said Compton, "that we have been here already aweek. "

"Quite that, " said Venning. 

"The time has seemed long because you have been receiving newimpressions. "

"I thought it was a fish I received, " murmured Compton. 

"Each impression, " continued the hunter, "is a sort of milestone inyour memory, so that an hour crowded with several of thesemilestones will appear to be longer than a whole blank day. You willget used to such interrupted nights--that is, if our journey doesnot end here. "

"Oh, come, sir, we have dodged them beautifully. "

"The feeling of security is the beginning of disaster, " said Mr. Hume, oracularly. "The rule of the bush is to keep your eyesskinned. "

"What is the order of the day, then?"

"The order of the day is to watch and wait. Venning will crawl on tothe little island on our right and watch the south hank. You, Compton, will take the head of the large island on our left, and Iwill watch from the other end. If any of us see danger, we will givethe whistle of the sand-piper. Each will take water and food, andeach, of course, will keep himself hid. "

"We take our guns, of course?"

"Best not. A gunshot would bring a host down upon us. Don't bediscouraged, " continued the hunter, as he saw the boys' faces drop. "We have got the advantage of position, and we've got grit--eh?"

He nodded cheerfully, and they smiled back, and then each crept outto his allotted post. The first part of the watch was by no meansbad--so the boys decided when they had settled down, Venning under abush palm and Compton behind a log. There was a pleasant freshnessin the air; and as the broad river uncoiled under the mist, itdisclosed fresh beauties, till the lifting veil revealed the woodedheights and the tall columns of smoke, grey against the dark of thewoods and black against the indigo blue of the sky. They markedwhere the hippos stood with their bulky heads to the sun, and sawthe crocodiles on the sands of other islands lying motionless withdistended jaws. And then the birds came to the hunting. Strings ofdark ibis, of duck, and storks; small kingfishers all bejeweled, andgreater kingfishers in black and white. The air was full of bird-calls, of the musical ripple of waters, of the hum of the forestmoved by the morning wind. 

By-and-by, however, the sun got to work in earnest, and the pleasurewent out of the watching as the air grew hot and steamy. The sand-flies and the mosquitoes found them out, and blessed the day thatbrought two tender white boys into their very midst. They gatheredto the feast in clouds, but these boys were not there for the fun ofthe thing. They drew gossamer veils over the brims of their felthats, and gathered them in about their necks. They pulled their softhigh boots up to their knees and secured them there; and, moreover, they smeared an abomination of grease and eucalyptus oil over theirhands. The mosquitoes set up a shrill trumpeting that could be heardten paces away, and held a mass meeting to protest; whereupon thefather of all the dragon-flies, a magnificent warrior in a steel-blue armour, saw that a conspiracy was afoot, and swept into themidst with a whirr and a snap, a turn here and a flash there, thatscattered the host in a twinkling of a gnat's eye. 

The islands shimmered in the glare as if they were afloat; thehippos took to the water, and a deep and drowsy silence fell uponthe great river. But man, ever restless, was astir, and through thestillness there was borne to the three a soft continuous humming, that merged quietly into the short, clamorous throbs of an engine atwork under pressure. 

The launch was afloat again! Mr. Hume caught the trail of the smokefirst, and Compton next. They marked the course under the north bankright up to a bend about six miles off, and they judged that thelaunch had stopped there, as the smoke went up in a straight thincolumn. Then Venning saw a canoe dart out from the south bank, followed by two others from different points. The sun struck likefire on gun-barrel and spear-head, and gleamed on the wet paddles. He moistened his parched lips with a taste of water from his filter-bottle, and gave the call. The answer came, and he drew his friendsto him with a low whistling. As they came crouching, he pointedupriver. 

"Three canoes put out. Two are hidden behind that outside island, and there is the other creeping round the end. "

"Oh ay, " said Mr. Hume. "If they're after us, they will have placedoutlooks in the tallest trees;" and with his glass he swept theforest. 

"They could not see us at that distance. "

"But they could see our boat as soon as we appeared in open water. We'll stay where we are. "

"Then we shall need our guns. "

"It is not our guns that will save us, my lad, but strategy. Any onecould fire off a rifle, but it takes nerve to keep cool in readinessto do the right thing at the right time. "

"But, " said Compton, obstinately, "we don't want to be caughtundefended. "

"Leave this matter with me, " said the hunter, sternly. "See thatcrocodile asleep on that stretch of sand? He's our best protector. Why? Because he is asleep. The natives, seeing him, would think wewere not near. We will, however, keep watch together. "

They returned to the boat, made all ready for an instant departure, in case they were discovered, then settled down to wait and watchonce more. Gradually the strain wore off, the old silence fell uponthe scene, and their eyes grew heavy from sheer monotony. The nighthad seemed long, bat the day was worse. 

Then the boys rubbed their eyes and lifted their heads. Where therehad been a bare stretch of water white under the sun between twoislands a quarter of a mile off, there appeared a long canoe, with atall spearman standing in the bows, and a full crew behind. 

The man in the bows looked straight down the channel to their lair, where in the narrow cut the Okapi lay hidden behind a screen ofleaves. Then he moved his hand to the right, and the canoe, silently, without a ripple almost, skirted the island on that side, into whose reedy sides the men darted their glances. Again the handwas moved, and the long boat crept across to the island on the left, which was swept by the sharp suspicious eyes of the natives. Againthe bowman directed his gaze into the narrow opening, and this timehe looked long. There was one small island to pass, and if the canoekept on the north side, it would have to come right into the hiding-place; if it kept to the south, it would reappear at the end of thepassage by which the Okapi had entered. 

In either case, the danger of discovery seemed certain. The threepairs of eyes from behind the tall grass were glued to the man'sface. They saw him start, then move his hand to the left, and as thecanoe went stealthily out of their view round the south side, theyheard the sullen plunge made by a crocodile as, disturbed from hissleep, he took to the waters. 

Then the three crept back to the boat. "Pull her through thescreen, " whispered the hunter, as he caught up his rifle, "but makeno noise;" and he took up another position ashore, this time facingthe other end of the channel. 

With great caution the boys coaxed the Okapi through the trailingbranches, so that she would be hidden from view if the nativeslooked up the channel. Then they waited and waited for ages beforethe hunter showed himself. 

"Well?" they asked in a whisper. 

"They have passed on. "

"And?" they said, watching his face. 

"I don't quite like it. They may have no suspicions, but I thinkthey have; for one man pointed up in this direction. "

"If they suspected anything they would have stopped surely. "

"Perhaps not. The native doesn't like the look of a trap, and itmaybe that they passed on with the intention of returning at night. Or they may have gone for the other boats. " Mr. Hume stood up toglance shorewards. 

"Would it not be better to move on?" said Venning. 

"If we could be sure that we should not be seen from the land, thatwould be the move. " He stroked his beard. "I guess we'll move, " hesaid, "just about dusk, for I'm pretty sure in my mind that they didtake particular notice of this channel, and my policy is always tolisten to your instincts. "

"Instincts, " muttered Compton; "call them nerves. "

Mr. Hume laughed. "About the time you were born, Dick, I was playinga lone hand in Lo-Ben's country as trader and hunter, when a loss ofnerve would have meant loss of life. See! So just leave this to me, and shove her along. "

Compton grinned back at the hunter, and tugged at his oar, for thelevers clanked too loud for this work. They crept along to anotherberth a little way off, and tied up in the shadow of the bank; andthey had scarcely settled themselves when they heard again the beatof engines. The launch was returning, and was returning in answer toa signal that the game had been found! A pungent smell of smokesuddenly reached them, and, standing up, they saw over the reedsthat a fire had been made on one of the neighbouring islands. 

That was the signal!

Glancing shorewards they saw that more canoes were putting off--darksmudges on the water, but growing clearer as the crews dashed thepaddles. But there were enemies even nearer. As they pulled theOkapi closer into the shadows a boat swept into view, and, evidentlyobeying directions given from the island where the fire was, took upa position overlooking the first hiding-place of the Okapi. All thetime the launch drew nearer, racing evidently to take advantage ofthe brief spell of light before the dark, and the canoes raced fromthe shore to take part in the great man-hunt. As they drew near, thefleet scattered, some going up-stream, others down, and theremainder dashing straight on in among the islands. 

As they scattered to take up their positions, there came a reportfrom the launch's gun. 

It was the signal for the drive to begin, and as the echo rolledaway, a deep silence followed the previous uproar. The savage look-out men, standing erect in the sharp bows of the long canoes, motioned to the paddlemen to stop, and all heads were turned to thewind to catch any sound in case the hunted should attempt to moveaway. Fierce eyes were directed towards one spot, where the fireblazed on the island over against the place where the Okapi had laidup. 

Not a whisper had come from the three in the boat. After they hadfirst seen the signal smoke, which told them so plainly that Mr. Hume's suspicions were justified, they had crouched low, watchingevery move that was visible to them. 

A canoe rounded their hiding-place and crept stealthily by towardsthe narrow passage with its screen of bushes, every man fixing hisgaze directly ahead, the broad nostrils quivering, and spearsgrasped in the hands that were not busy with the paddles. 

Then through the silence there came the sharp yap of a dog who hasstruck the scent, and next the loud, excited bark. Too cautious toland on the suspected island themselves, some of the canoe-men haddrawn near from the north side and thrown a cur on the island tofind the white men in their supposed hiding. The dog had, of course, struck the spoor and found the dark hiding, empty, but suspicious-looking. In his fear he gave tongue. The gun from the launch fired, a yell rose from every side, and all the canoes near dashed forward. 

Mr. Hume shoved out, and the Okapi slipped up-stream undetectedunder the uproar, darting from one island to another, and keeping asnear the banks as possible. They were doing splendidly! The enemywas behind; it seemed that they must reap the advantage of theircaution and resourcefulness, when, without any intimation ofdanger, they came right upon a canoe lying in mid-channel betweentwo of the innumerable islands. 

"Back-water!" cried Mr. Hume, at once. 

The boys obeyed without, of course, any knowledge of the course, andthe Okapi slackened down. 

"Well met, my friends, " came a voice they knew; and the two lookedover their shoulders. 

"Dished, after all!" muttered Compton, bitterly; then he snatched uphis rifle. 

"Hassan thought you would come along this way, " went on the juniorofficer--for it was he; "but I doubted, and yet here you are. "

"The praise be to Allah, " remarked Hassan, piously, as he glancedalong his rifle. 

The Okapi had lost the little way she was making, and began to movewith the current away from the canoe. Mr. Hume suddenly spoke forthe first time since his order. 

"Turn that canoe round!" he roared; and his Express leapt to hisshoulder. The boys followed suit. 

The paddle-men promptly ducked their heads, and one of them calledout in his lingo that this was the slayer of crocodiles and of thegreat bull. 

"But, my friend----" began the Belgian, who now, together withHassan and several Arabs in the stern of the canoe, came under thelevelled barrels. 

"Oblige me, " said the hunter. "Compton, cover that Arab Hassan withyour rifle, and Venning, take the man to the right. If they movetheir weapons, shoot. "

Hassan snarled and turned a furious face to the Belgian. "This isyour folly!" he hissed. "Why didn't you fire at once?"

Mr. Hume repeated his orders in the native tongue, and the cowedmen, using their paddles, turned the long canoe round. 

"Now, keep straight on in silence, till I tell you to stop. Followthem"--this to the boys, who immediately picked up their sculls. 

The Belgian glanced back. "Come, " he said, "this is not amiable. See, we could, had we liked, have caught you in an ambush. "

"And so your friend Hassan advised you, eh?" replied Mr. Hume; "butyou thought we would surrender at discretion. You see, you weremistaken. Now just listen to me. Do not look back again, or thisrifle may go off. Out with the sculls, lads. "

Hassan growled out curses at this complete turning of the tablesupon him, but the natives bent to their paddles. They bad no wish tobe shot down in the cause of the slave-hunter, however ready theywould have been to have fallen on the Englishmen if the advantagehad been with them. 

The darkness was coming on fast as the strange procession passed upthe channel to thread the intricate passages among the clusteringislands. In a few minutes the canoe would be almost hidden fromsight; but the very last thing Mr. Hume wanted was to keep company. 

"Baleka!" he cried. "Quicker! I have your heads in one line. Onebullet would stretch you all dead. Quicker!" he roared. 

The broad paddles flashed, the water churned fiercely, and the longcanoe shot off into the dusk; and as it sped on the hunter pulledthe wheel over, altering the course of the Okapi, and taking ittowards the open water between the islands and the south bank. 

"By Jove! you did that splendidly, " said Compton. "I thought it wasall over. "

Venning laughed that little nervous laugh of his. "I wonder why theygave in like that?"

"We had the drop on then, " said Mr. Hume, grimly; "and we knew ourown minds. Now, then! up with the sail, and, dark or not, we mustget on. "

Very smartly and silently the boys hoisted the sail, and as theOkapi beat up they heard a great uproar from the left. ApparentlyHassan was using violent language to the Belgian officer for nothaving ambushed the "dogs of Englishmen. " Then several rifle-shotswere fired from the canoe, and answered from the people down-stream, who were still searching for their prey. But the Okapi slipped on, making a musical ripple under her bows, until she beat up under thegreat wall of woods on the south bank, when she tacked away into thegathering darkness, feeling for the wind. Down-river was the glareof fires at different spots, where the men had landed from thedifferent canoes; but there was no light ahead through the wholevast width of the river, and they dare not even rig up their ownlamp to get what little guidance it could give. The wind was fitful, and the direct progress was slow, so that when the glow went out ofthe sky they were still within hearing of the shouting. Indeed, itseemed that the shouting gained on them, as if the men in Hassan'sboat were keeping their place in the renewed pursuit, and directingother crews as to the line they should take. 

Then the sail napped idly against the mast as the wind died down, and as they unstepped the mast before depending on the screw, a firesprang out right ahead, sending up a tall column of flame that flungits reflection far across the waters. 

"We must make out into the islands again, " said Mr. Hume; but, asthe boat pointed on the new course, an answering flame sprang up, and then another and another at brief intervals, until from the fireon the bank there was a semicircle of flame from island to islandbarring their advance. 

"There must be an army out, " muttered Venning. 

"It is one canoe, but most likely Hassan's, firing the dried reedsas they pass from island to island. "

"Then the flames will die out soon. "

"Yes, they will die down; but in the mean time other canoes willcome up, and if there are men on the shore waiting, they will see usoutlined against the reflection. "

Even as he finished there came a shrill cry from the shore, followedby the wild beat of the war-drum, and next by the sound of paddling. 

"Shall we make a bolt for it?" asked Compton. 

"Not yet, " said the hunter; and he brought the Okapi stem on for thedeep shadows under the bank. 

The oars moved softly, covered by the noise of the paddling, and theOkapi slipped out of the reflection into the darkness, while thecanoes dashed straight on, passing about one hundred yards behindher stem. 

"Easy now, " whispered Mr. Hume, "and keep quite still. "

The oars were drawn in as the Okapi, caught in a current, was borneright into the bank at a spot where the trees came down to thebrink. Mr. Hume caught a branch, and the stern swung round. Beforethem, about a quarter of a mile off perhaps, was the great fire theyhad first seen, still fed by natives, whose dark figures stood outand disappeared as they moved about. Out on the river they couldhear the noise of paddles, and of men calling to each other. 

Near them on the bank something moved, and above the swishing of thecurrent they heard the low whine of an animal. 

Mr. Hume pricked his ears at the sound, and crept into the well, where the boys sat anxiously watching. 

"Put on your coats, " he muttered. 

Again there came the whine, then the sound of an animal scrambling, and next the patter of feet. 

"A dog, " whispered Venning. 

"I advise keeping on, " said Compton. 

"And I, " replied Mr. Hume, "advise that we have something to eat. Will you serve us, Venning?"

They ate hungrily, for through the day they had been too muchexcited to think of food. And as they feasted their eyes were on themove, and their ears on the stretch. Their manoeuvre had apparentlysucceeded, for the canoes were all beating up towards the firesunder the belief that the Okapi had kept on, and there was nosuspicious movement by the people on the shore. So they remainedwhere they were, keeping themselves in position by holding on tothe branches. To the boys it was a weird scene, with the blood-redglow on the waters and the sense of vastness and of wildness. Theywere not afraid, but they could not help a feeling of weariness, andthey edged nearer the hunter for the comfort of his presence. For along time they watched, sitting silent; and by-and-by the fires onthe islands died down one by one, until only the flare on the bankremained as a beacon to those on the river. Then the sound ofpaddling drew near again. 

Again the whine came from behind the screen of trees, and there wasa rustling among the branches. 

Taking a bit of the dried meat he had been eating, Mr. Hume tossedit through the leaves. There came a sniff, a snap of the jaws, and awhimper. The hunter shifted his rifle till it pointed through theboughs. 

"Peace, " said a low voice. "It is Muata and his beast. They hunt meyet. "

"Us also, O chief!"

The canoes came rushing in. Already some of the crews had landednear the fire; but others were coming down-stream, hugging the banksfor safety, or, maybe, having a last look for the Englishmen. 

"It is Muata!" cried Venning, in a joyous whisper. "Muata and hisjackal. What luck!"

"S-sh!"

A canoe went by some distance out, after it another, and as theyswept into the darkness, a third announced its presence, coming moreslowly and closer in. While it was nearly opposite the hiding thehowl of the jackal rose from out the bush, wringing a startledexclamation from the two boys by its suddenness. 

"What devil's noise is that?" sang out a voice they recognized asthat of the Belgian officer. 

A sharp order was given, the paddles ceased, and the canoe, loominglong and black on the water, drifted towards the Okapi. 

"I have heard that cry before, " said a rasping voice. "Be ready withyour weapons. Allah the merciful may yet deliver those we seek. "

"What would they be doing here inshore?" asked the Belgian. 

"They would be here because it is here they would not expect us tosearch. I think I see something gleam. "

In the water by the shore there was a faint splash, and again thejackal whined. 

Mr. Hume pressed his hand on Compton's shoulder, forcing him intothe well; and he did the same by Venning. 

"Surely, " said the Belgian, "it is something. Shall we call in theother canoes, and guard the place till daylight?"

"I will have them now, " said Hassan, with fury. 

"They will not look on another sun;" and he gave the order to hismen to kill when they closed in. "It is they who let free the thiefof the forest--the dog Muata. "

"You lie, O woman stealer; Muata freed himself;" and out of thewater, out of the blackness, came the voice, without warning, "Muatais here, by your side, man-thief. "

The Arab fired, and the flash from his discharged rifle flamed intothe water, into which he peered with features convulsed. 

"Kill him!" he yelled. 

"Muata!" cried the paddlers. "Haw! To the shore, to the shore, or weperish! The water-wolf, he!"

"Yavuma!" cried the voice from the water; and the canoe heeled overas the chief rose under the sharp bow. "Yavuma!"--he wrenched apaddle from one of the men and hurled it at the Arab. The crankcraft rolled as some of the excited men in the stem tried to usetheir spears. "Yavuma!"--this time with a triumphant whoop, and thecanoe turned over!

With a couple of powerful strokes the swimmer had his hand on theOkapi. 

"O great one, " he cried, "Muata is come to work and to watch--to beyour shield and your spear. "

Mr. Hume reached out a strong hand and pulled the chief on board. 

Muata gave a low cry, and with a frightened whimper the jackal shotout from the bank and lighted on the deck. Then the Okapi slid outsilently into the river. 

"By Jenkins!" gasped Venning. 

"It beats all, " laughed Compton. "Well done, Muata. "

As the capsized crew struggled to the shore they yelled abuse andthreats, but their power for mischief had gone with the loss oftheir weapons. Some of them went off down the bank shouting for thecanoes that had gone on, and others made their way to the fire; butMr. Hume and Muata took a spell at the levers, heedless of the noisemade, and under their powerful arms the boat was soon far out in thewaste of waters--safe, at any rate, for that night. 

CHAPTER VIII

THE BULLS AND THE WILD DOGS

After an hour or so Muata was sent forward as look-out, and with hisjackal by his side, apparently aiding him in his task, he showedsuch eyes for the night that they kept on safely till the morning, when the sail was hoisted, and by breakfast-time they judged theyhad covered about forty miles--quite enough for safety. They ran theOkapi in among the islands which still stretched away as far as theycould see, and made fast, to eat and to sleep. The noon heat wokethem. They sat up under the awning and talked of the great drive, ofMuata's escape, and of his wonderful luck in finding them--though hemade out that there was nothing strange about it, since from thewoods he had seen the preparations for the hunt, and had, too, madeout the Okapi in the dusk. For the rest, his jackal had scented outthe white man's lair, and all he, the chief, had to do was to upsetthe canoe of the Arab. 

"That was no great work for Muata--the otter, the water-wolf, " hesaid. 

"And how did the chief escape?"

"Before the shouting arose that Muata was gone, he found a calabashof fat for the cooking, by the door of a hut. Some fat he rubbed onthe soles of his feet to kill the scent. Then he sent the jackalinto the woods and crawled into a hut, being stiff from the binding. In the hut he remained, rubbing the fat into the joints, till thepeople came back to the feast. "

"The feast was made by us, so that while the people ate we couldloosen your bonds. "

"Wow! Never yet have I known any to give such thought to astranger. "

"It is our way to stand by those who stand by us. "

"It is a great word that;" and the chief turned the thought over inhis mind. "Ow aye! They came again to the feast, and Muata went outinto the woods in peace. "

"And was that all?"

"There was a man gathering fruit in the morning as I passed througha garden, and his knife I took. "

"And what did the man do?"

"He took a message to my father, the chief, " said Muata, enigmatically. "The chief's son has been like a hunted dog. Hisstomach hungers for red meat. His spirit thirsts for the hunt. Wow!O hunter, set your shining boat for the shore, and let us follow thetrail. There be buffalo in the lands beyond the hills which line theriver. "

"That's a splendid idea!" cried Venning. "I'm beginning to getmouldy. A trip ashore would be ripping, now that we have distancedour pursuers. "

"I second that motion, " said Compton, with a longing glanceshorewards. "Do you know, sir, that we have not shot a thing sincewe entered the Congo?"

"I have no objection, " said the hunter. "And we must have a goodsupply of biltong before we enter the forest; but we cannot affordto take risks. Just examine the shore for a creek, and at dusk wewill run across. "

The boys passed the afternoon searching the south bank for signs ofa creek, and in the evening the Okapi shaped her course across to alikely spot they had marked out. But though they found a creek, itwas not one that commended itself as a hiding to Mr. Hume, and itwas not till after a wearisome hunt for hours in the dark that theyfound a channel leading through the hills which he agreed to followup; and then, when they had entered about a mile, Muata, with hisjackal, was landed to "feel" around for native paths or villages. Muata, after a long absence, reported all safe as far as he couldjudge, and they tied up. In the morning they found themselves in thethick of the woods, and pushed on down a dark and sluggish streamstrewn with fallen timber, till they came to a pool in a gorge. Herethey resolved to leave their boat. 

They took the Okapi to pieces, stowed them away in a dry cavern inthe krantz, covered them with the tarpaulins, and pushed on downthrough the gorge on foot, emerging beyond the hills which borderedthe Congo into a rolling country, park-like in appearance. Theystudied the land well before they continued, first for signs ofnative villages, and next for game. Smoke rose far away to theright, but nearer, the country seemed deserted, and as plenty ofgame appeared in sight, they determined to camp on the slopes of thehill. So they looked about for a good pitch, and made choice of asunny spot at the foot of a rocky cliff, not far from the streamthey had followed, and well screened from view by a thicket of bushin the front. They stowed away their blankets in a small cave at thebase of the cliff, and then started off for the first hunt, the boysin a fine state of excitement. They struck into a game-path leadingthrough thick scrub, and five minutes from the start there was asullen snort, a tremendous crashing in the woods, as if, at least, aherd of elephant were stampeding. Mr. Hume dashed down the game-path, and before the boys could see what manner of beast it was, hehad fired and bowled it over with a bullet behind the ear. 

"A bit of luck, " he said, as they reached him. 

"What is it?" asked Venning, glancing around with bright eyes. 

"A buffalo, over there. "

The two boys saw a dark form on the ground, half hidden by a bush, and were running forward. 

"Quietly, " said the hunter. "Always approach dangerous gamecautiously when they are down--especially buffalo;" and with hisfinger on the trigger he went up slow-footed. 

But the buffalo was stone-dead--a great bull with an immense bossbetween the bend of his sharp horns. 

"It's the luck of hunting, " said Mr. Hume, as the boys walked roundthe great beast. "Some days you never get a shot, and other timesyou find game at your back door, so to speak. One of you boys willstay with Muata to skin and cut up. It will be a good lesson. "

The two looked at each other, and then away over the plain. Skinningand cutting up was not exactly amusing. 

"All right; I'll stay, " said Venning. 

"Each in his turn, " said the hunter. "Come along, Compton;" and theywent off, as Venning turned up his shirt-sleeves. 

It was hard work, this cutting up, but Muata was a master at thejob, and Venning learnt his lesson thoroughly. 

The great hide was taken off in one piece without a slit; then longstrips of meat were cut off and hung over the branches of a tree. When the rest of the meat had been stripped off, they packed it allaway in the hide, slung the bundle to a sapling, and, with each endof the pole on a shoulder, they slowly carried the whole to thecamp. Venning hoped that his labours were over; but they had onlycompleted one task. They had now to build a scaffolding on which tohang the strips, after each had been well peppered to keep off theflies, for the drying and smoking. This took another slice out ofthe day; and when Venning had washed in the river, and cooked andeaten his buffalo-steak, he resigned himself to the study of insectsin place of the pursuit of game, while Muata, who had melted downthe fat from the kidneys, sat and rubbed the oil into his limbs tillhis skin shone. 

"Have you seen many buffalo?" asked Venning, with a keen eye on abit of crooked stick that had seemed to move. 

"Many. "

"And you understand their ways?"

"I have watched as you watch the stick that is not a stick. "

Venning picked up an insect--a strange creature which had adapteditself to its surroundings by pretending to be a dried twig. 

"Tell me what you saw. "

"I saw the twin bulls when they were calves, and I saw them whenthey led the herd, and when they lost the leadership. I watchedthem. Ow aye, I knew their ways. Sometime, when I was yet a boy, Icould understand what they said. "

"What they said, chief?"

"See, the creatures are like men in their ways, and men are likeanimals--each man like to one kind of animal. Haw! So I judged whatthe buffalo would say if he could talk like men. "

"And what was the talk? Tell it me; for I also have given speech toanimals when I have watched alone. "

"I will tell you what I thought when I was young, and watched thethings of the forest. The wisest among the people I have met is awoman; and among the things of the forest, the wisest were even abuffalo cow who never had calf, and the mother of the yellow pack, who had white eyes in her long head. Haw!

"Now, the pack hunted on the same veld where a troop of buffalograzed, but the bull who led the troop was wise. He took counselwith the old cow that was calf-less, and the pack could never findthe fat heifers or the younger calves unguarded. In the troop weretwo young bulls--brothers; and these I had watched grow--watchedfrom my hiding. They were strong and fierce, and they eyed the oldbull full. Scarcely would they turn from his path. Wow! One morningthe old bull stood in the game-path, considering in his mind how itcame to happen that the earth had been fresh turned. While he stood, the young bulls pressing behind suddenly put their horns to hisflanks and urged him forward. Mawoh! The old bull stepped on to thenewly turned earth, and went down into a pit that the hunters haddug. He called to the troop to run from the danger, and they crashedthrough the wood to the open glade. 

"Haw! A young dog of the pack heard the bellow from the earth, andcreeping near, he looked down upon the great bull. Then, with hisnose to the ground, he ran upon the trail of the troop till he sawthem in the opening. The young bulls moved among the cows. Theypushed the old cow aside, and later went through the tall grass intoa shallow vlei, where they wallowed in the mud. Then the young dogran back to the pack. This is what he said, as I understood--

"'Behold, O mother, ' he said, 'the great bull, even the leader, isfallen in the trap made by man in the path. '

"Who leads the troop now--the old cow or the two brothers?"

'The young bulls, O mother, and they lie in the mud. '

"Then the she-dog called the pack together. I heard the call, andknew there would be hunting. She called them and made a plan. I sawafterwards the plan she made. The young dogs she sent round to thefar side of the vlei, and she came with the biggest of the pack tothe side nearest the forest. From the edge of the wood she lookedout on the open. The old cow stood alone, with her head turning nowthis way, then that way. The others grazed with their calves. Theheifers stood foot-deep in the water near the bulls. 

"The old dog turned to the pack. 'This comes of the folly of theyoung, ' she said; and her white eyes ran from dog to dog. 'Those twolie like pigs. We will eat buffalo to-night. Scatter and wait. '

"Three dogs went to the right of her and three to the left. Theystretched themselves in the grass. The old cow blew through hernostrils. She struck the ground, and the cows with the young calvesran to her. They gathered in a bunch, heads out. From beyond camethe hunting-cry of the young dogs. The heifers moved, but the bullskept still. ' It is but a dog yapping after a hare, ' they said. 'Stand you still. '

"But the hunting-cry drew nearer. The cows lowered their heads, bellowing, and the heifers ran. Wow! The young dogs cut one out, andraced her right to where the great mother of the pack crouched. Asthe heifer came by, the white jaws snapped at her belly, and bitdeep, so that blood flowed, and on the scent of the blood the packwent into the forest. They ate buffalo that night. 

"The young bulls rose from the mud. They ran to and fro in the open;their eyes were red, and the foam dripped from their black lips. Wow! they were angry, Ow aye, they were covered with shame and mud. The old cow moved away, and the cows with young followed her. Theheifers, trembling in their limbs, would have followed also, but thebulls headed them off. There was much talk in the forest over this. They said the bulls had learnt wisdom. No dog would take a member ofthe troop again. The bulls tossed their horns. 'If a lion comes, 'they said, 'we would beat him off. '

"The pack tried again, and were beaten off; but the old she yawned. 'In a few days, my children, ' she said, 'we will eat buffalo, evenof the meat of the young bulls. There never were two leaders in apack'--and her white eyes went to a dog who had hopes of theleadership--'never; and in a day, or two days, these brothers willfight. They will fight hard; and when the fight is done the packwill steal upon them. When they stand panting, with lowered headsand feet wide apart, we will bite at the softness of their bellies. 'She licked her lips, and the tongues of the pack curled over theirlips also. So the young dogs were set to watch upon the brothers;and it came to pass as the old mother said--the brothers fought. Itbegan in play. One swung his head at the other, and the other swungback. 

"When a grown bull swings his head, O white boy, who picked me outof the sea, it is like the blow of a falling tree. There is theweight of his head with the heavy horns, the arch of his neck, andthe power in his shoulders where the muscles lie. The blows rousedthe fury in them. They looked sideways at each other, then theirtails went up, and they came together. Wow!! The noise rang far. Thehunting dogs ran swiftly to the pack, and as they ran there followedthem the noise of the fight. 

"I stole near to watch. It was a battle. The ground was torn up asin the hoeing, where their hoofs clung for a footing under thepressure. First they pushed, head to head, nose near the ground, redeyes looking into red eyes. The heifers stood in a cluster watching. It was a still battle. They saved their breath, and as they breathedthe dust flew. For many minutes they pushed, swaying, one losingground for a time, then gaining it back. The foam gathered on theirlips and dropped to the ground. The sweat ran under their bellies. Then one slipped, and the other struck under the shoulder. From thelower rib to the back there ran a white mark. The white mark turnedblack, and blood came out. At the pain of it the stricken bullgrunted and struck up. His horn struck under the body, and with thecracking of his joints he heaved the other over. Haw! He rolled himright over and sprang at him. Wow!! He struck and stood back. Theother was on his feet swiftly. With the swiftness of a little cat hegained his feet. So they stood with their heads up, staring with redeyes. Again they came together. Again they shoved and strained, andthe dust caked on the blood that covered them. The ground beneaththem that was dry, was now muddy from the trampled blood. Then theyswung their heads and struck, grunting at the blows, and stoodapart, and came together, till the blood started from their ears. Their breath came in gasps, and the silence was broken. From theirlips, all blood-covered, there came a moaning. Ow aye, the moaningof a mother over her dead. The heifers ran forward, then back; theyran round and galloped away, afraid--galloped into the forest. 

"In my heart, O white friend, I was sorry for the brothers. Themoaning was the cry of sorrow that one felt for the other. 'O mybrother, I must slay you, ' that was the meaning of the moaning. Their tongues rolled out, swollen; their legs shook, their eyes werecovered with mist. Yet they swung their heads, and each time thehorns were wet with blood, and the moaning came always. Then theycame together, and went on their knees. Their muzzles were in themud; their hind legs were wide apart. 

"Ow aye, I looked away and saw the white eyes of the mother of thepack. She was creeping up. Her lips were wet; the hair on her neckstood up. Behind her came others. I gave the low growl of a lion--the cry he makes when he is angry at being disturbed. She threw upher head and sniffed the air. Then she growled in her throat, forthere was no taint of lion in the air, but the taint of man! Herwhite eyes found me out where I sat in a low tree, and there wasdeath in them. So I gathered the air in my lungs and shouted. Aman's shout is as much dreaded as the lion's roar. The dogs jumpedup, but the old mother called to them, and they crouched down. Thebrothers stood moaning head to head. I shouted again; I whistled. Then the bulls drew apart. One fell slowly on his side; the othersmelt at the fallen one. Then he tried to bellow, but his tongue wasthick in his mouth. The she-dog crept forward, and I whistled loud. This time he flung up his head and looked around. He saw the whiteeyes above the grass; he saw the round ears everywhere around. Thenhe smelt at his brother. Wow! He smelt at him; he licked the bloodfrom his nostrils. 

"This is the law among the wild things--when one is down he is down. The weak are driven forth by their fellows; the hurt are left. Thebull smelt at his brother; then again he flung his head up to lookat the white-eyed one, and he moved away for the vlei, moaning as hewent. The dogs let him pass; their eyes scarcely went to him, forthey were fixed on the fallen. They moved upon him in silence, a fewsteps at a time, then crouched with hanging tongues; then a few moresteps; and as they closed in the fallen bull watched those he couldsee. Meat for dogs! He a chief in the forest, who could toss thelargest dog the height of a tree! Wow! He gathered his hind feetunder him and lifted. Slowly he reached his feet, and the white-eyedmother ran in open-mouthed. She gripped the sinews of his hind legand held on. The pack crowded in. Haw! It was no fight. The bulllooked after his brother, who was slowly moving to the vlei, moaningas he went. Then, but for a little time, he fought as a chief shouldfight when his foes are on him. With a swing of his head here, and aswing there, he stove in the ribs of two of the pack; then he sprangon another, flung him, as a boy would a stone, into the air, watchedhim go up, watched him come down, then flung him up again, and fellforward on his knees with his nose on the ground, and the packsnapped the flesh from him in mouthfuls. The other bull turned notat the howling of the pack. He walked on slow and straight to thevlei, drank deep, and made a bed in the mud. He covered his woundswith mud, and when his wounds were healed he was an outcast. Thetroop had another leader, and the old cow led them all to anothergrazing-ground. "

"And what became of you, Muata?"

"Muata stayed in the tree. Mawoh! Muata was afraid. The mother ofthe pack had not forgotten. Even while she ate she looked at him, and when the milk-mothers with their young came to the forest, having been called, she lay off and watched, with her evil eyes onme. The jackals, smelling blood, howled, sitting on their haunches, and a lion came up growling in his throat. But he did not come rightup; he stood a way off, watching, and presently he stretchedhimself on his stomach to wait. Haw! Even the lion will not attemptto drive the pack from its kill. Ow aye, it is so. The old mothernever turned her eyes to watch the lion, but when the pups played, having eaten their fill, she stood up. The pack looked at her andmoved off; then the lion rose and came forward. The old one stoodher ground, and the great one, when he was within three bounds ofher, also stood. The white eyes turned away from the yellow eyes--they turned to me; then she yapped and went off after the pack. Thelion looked after her; then he stretched himself on the ground againand stared. He lifted his head to the wind and sniffed. Mawoh! Well, I knew the old mother had told him of my presence; but the lionnever looks up. It was well for me, for his mind was uneasy. A longtime he lay, while the jackals sat howling. Then he crept round thetree and the carcase. Twice he crept round; then, as the smell ofthe meal was too much, he trotted up to the carcass and growled athis feast. His back was toward me, and I fled. "

"And did you meet the white-eyed mother again?"

"The wisest among the people I have met, " said Muata, gravely, "wasa woman; and among the creatures of the forest, the wisest was ashe-dog. It is in my mind that the leader of the pack was umtaguati. Ow aye, she was a wizard; and it is not well to make war againstsuch. "

Venning looked at the chief with curiosity. "Are there many wizardsin the forest, Muata?" he asked with a smile. 

"By day and night, many; but most by night. Our people will notventure forth in the darkness of the forest for fear of the wizardsand the bad spirits that watch from behind the trees and followstealthily; but a spell was given to Muata. He could walk in thenight. "

"Have you seen these--eh--spirits, Muata?" Muata put the questionaside. He rose and pointed to the east. 

"The sun dies away and the hunters return. "

"I don't hear them. Where are they?" "The birds cry out and fly. That is the sign that man is on the move; for hear, you who split upthe shining boat, birds will scold at a leopard or a great snake, hovering around as they scold; but they fly from man. From nothingelse will they fly. From an eagle they will hide after giving thewarning call; but from man they fly. "

A few minutes later the two arrived, Mr. Hume carrying an antelopeon his shoulder. 

CHAPTER IX

A LION'S CHARGE

They turned in very early after banking up leaves over the firesunder the biltong strips, to give them a good smoking during thenight, but in the small hours, when the night is at its quietest, the moonlight, shining on Venning's face, woke him. The fires wereglowing bright, altogether too bright for safety, and he rose tocover the glare with some green leaves. He looked at his sleepingcompanions, for all, tired out by disturbed nights, slept on, exceptthe jackal, which had one eye open. 

Venning sat awhile looking down upon the dim uncertain shadows thatcame and went, as a fleecy mist-like cloud passed overhead. Beyondthe fitful murmur of the wind there was no sound but the hooting ofa great homed owl somewhere from the woods above. Drawing hisblanket round him, and picking up his gun, he walked to a point onthe right overlooking the bed of the little river, and there he satdown with his back to a rock and his gun over his knees. Scarcelywas he seated when the jackal startled him by its sudden appearanceat his side. He scratched its ears, and it sat close to him, staringfixedly down on the river. Just below there was a stretch of sand inthe bed gleaming white under the moonlight, and Venning watched thiswith the eye of a naturalist, in the hope of seeing some of thegreat forms of animal life. And he had his hope, for severalcreatures crossed the white patch, and each time the jackal was thefirst to see them. The round ears would suddenly prick forward, thesharp nose would twitch, and then Venning would dimly discoversomething down there in the uncertain light. A porcupine he madeout, its quills gleaming and rustling as it went down to the water;then a great wart-pig with curved tusks; and next, after a longinterval, a fine buck with long powerful horns. A water-buck hejudged it to be from the length of its horns, and it stood therelong with its face up-stream, motionless, save for the constanttwitching of the large ears. He rested his elbows on his knees as hesat and aimed at the shoulders, but did not fire, for fear ofalarming the camp; and presently the buck, even as he watched, vanished as softly and silently as it came. Then Venning's eyesclosed, his chin dropped, the gun settled between his knees, and hewas asleep. 

He was asleep, and he was awake again so suddenly that he did notknow he had slept until he saw the position of the gun. The jackalplucked at his blanket. He remembered that something had disturbedhim, and he judged that the jackal had done the same thing justbefore. He yawned and patted its head; but, instead of sitting down, it ran a few yards, sniffed the air, whined, came back, glanced longover its shoulder into the riverbed, looked into Venning's face, then ran off in the direction of the camp. As soon as it was goneVenning felt lonely. He stood up, thinking to return to the camp, then sat down again, for he heard the sharp stamp that an antelopemakes when alarmed, and he hoped to see it come into the moonlight. So he settled down to watch again, and drowsiness fell upon hiseyes. He could see the white patch of sand, and as his heavy lidswere lowered and lifted between the drowsy intervals, he becamedimly conscious that there was something on the sand. Yes; there itwas, something grey, short, and thick. A donkey, he told himself. He smiled sleepily. A donkey! It was strange to see the old familiarform out there in the wilderness. He wondered dreamily where it camefrom; then a shadow cast by the moon on a passing cloud blotted outthe river-bed. He rubbed his eyes, and when the cloud had gone therewere two animals--donkeys, unmistakably--one larger than the other, both with their heads turned upwards towards him. Another cloudsailed by, and when it had passed he missed them, and, his curiosityroused, he rubbed his eyes again for a closer scrutiny. Surely thatwas not a bush on the bank? No! it moved. The donkeys were comingtowards him. One of them, the larger, moved forward quickly, thenstopped. Then a chill ran through him, his heart grew weak, hisbreathing grew sharp, and the sweat suddenly started out all overhis face and body. That was no donkey standing there, with its hugehead now sunk almost to the ground, now lifted high, as it tried tomake out what manner of living creature it was crouching there bythe rock above!

Venning felt the hair stir on his head as the two animals stoodgazing at him, and then he knew. The one behind sank to the ground, and with long steps began to creep round to the right. The moonstruck along its side, and showed the tawny hide and the whitishunder-parts of a lioness. The other, then, was a lion! With a sortof gurgling in his throat he turned his eyes to it, and he saw ittrotting up straight for him, its shaggy mane giving to its head andshoulders an enormous size. He felt spell-bound, incapable of movinghand or foot. It was the silence of the ferocious beasts thatparalyzed him. Then the jackal howled behind him, and his bloodrushed through his veins. His tongue no longer clave to the roof ofhis mouth, and when the great beast was within ten yards of him, helet forth a terrific yell and jumped to his feet, with his rifle inhis hands. 

The lion stopped suddenly in its charge with a low harsh grunt ofsurprise. Never before in its hunting had it heard such a wilduncanny noise. In one motion it stopped in its charge and swerved tothe right, and as it swerved the boy fired. The lion gave a mightybound, he heard it strike the ground with a heavy thud, and then itseemed to disappear, though he knew it was near from the lowgrowling it set up. 

From the camp there came a confused shouting, followed by the soundof a man running. 

Venning moistened his lips. "Look out, " he shouted, "there is a lionhere. "

"Where are you?"

"Here, by this rock. "

"Stay there, and keep quite still. "

The growling increased, and once more the same paralysis attackedthe boy so that he could scarcely breathe. Then some one stood athis side, and the fear went from him at once. 

"He's over there, somewhere; but I can't see him. "

"I can. Get round the rock, my boy. He's lying flat with his headbetween his paws, and it's a mercy you did not fire again and drawhis charge. "

Venning moved round the rock, and Mr. Hume slowly followed. Hestopped awhile to listen to the incessant growling. 

"You've hit him, but not, I think, mortally; anyway, we'll leavehim, if he will leave us. Move on towards the camp quietly--don'trun. "

"No, sir, " said Venning; but it required an effort not to make abolt for it when he saw the friendly gleam of the fire. 

Mr. Hume followed slowly, with his head over his shoulder, towardsthe place where the growling came from. When he reached the fire hegave a great sigh of relief. 

"Thank God. Now tell us what happened, my boy;" and he put his handon Venning's arm. 

Venning started violently, for just then from the river there came aharsh, growling call; and no sooner had it ceased than the groundshook to a terrific roar. 

"The lion answers the lioness, " said the chief, calmly. 

"Throw a little wood on the fire, Muata. Now, my lad. "

Venning told his story, and Compton listened with intenseexcitement; but the hunter treated the whole thing calmly, with setpurpose. He had in his experience seen the effect of a terribleshock, in the complete breakdown of the victim, and, personally, hehad known one man die from the shock to his system caused exactly bythe sudden and unexpected appearance of a lion at night. He keptVenning's thoughts off the mental picture of the charging lion untildawn, when all hands prepared for the hunt. 

"If you hit him hard he will be lying near, and I guess it will be adifferent matter meeting him by daylight--eh, my lad?"

Venning looked into the hunter's calm eyes, and felt strong. He wentstraight to the rock against which he had crouched, and pointed tothe deep scars made in the hard ground by the sharp claws as thelion had stopped his charge and wheeled. 

Compton measured the distance from the rock to the claw-marks. 

"Fifteen feet! By Jove! it was a narrow squeak. I would have yelledlike fits. "

"I did yell. "

Muata pointed to the ground. 

"Blood spoor, eh? You did hit him. Put the jackal on the track, chief, " said Mr. Hume. 

The jackal took one sniff at the ground, stared sharply around, thenpeered up into his master's face. 

"Search, " said the chief, in his own tongue. "Follow the great one, O little friend. The trail is laid; the great one has sought out amoist spot; he lies angry and sore in the shade. Search and find. "

The jackal looked intently into the chiefs face, sniffed at theground, ran forward a few yards, stopped, sniffed again with liftedmane at a spot where the grass was pressed down, threw up his headwith eyes half closed, then ran down towards the river, stopping onthe bank to look back. 

"That is where he joined his mate. There is the spoor on the sandgoing and returning. That is the round pad of the lion; just noteand compare it with the pads of the lioness over there. Just look, and read the writing. "

The two boys looked at the marks in the sand, and followed them downto the moist ground on the edge of the water. 

"They entered the river side by side, " they said. 

"That is plain; but the writing tells another story. See, thisfootprint here is faint--very faint, eh? He did not rest his weighton his left fore-foot. Why, eh?"

"Because the bullet struck the left front leg, " they both said. 

"They learn the signs, Muata. They will be hunters yet. Tell them ifthe lion be hard hit, chief. "

Muata waded into the river, which reached to his armpits at thedeepest, and bent over something on the further shore. Theyundressed, and waded through to him. 

"Congela, " he said, pointing to the bank. "The great ones came outhere. The great, great one was not sore hurt, for he came rightthrough, using all his feet to swim. "

"It will be luck, then, if we find him, " said the hunter. 

"Bad luck, " muttered Compton to Venning, with a grin. 

"Forward, little friend!" cried Muata. "Search and find. It is agreat hunt this day. We follow the hunter of all things. "

They slipped into their clothes and followed at a trot after thejackal, which ran straight on, its bushy tail held low. It followedthe river down for a mile or so, then stopped, looking back at itsmaster. 

Mr. Hume and the chief stood silently inspecting the hard ground, then they walked on a few yards. The same thoughts seemed to come toeach, as the boys judged from their actions; for from the groundtheir eyes ranged over the land, then were turned skywards. Muatapointed a finger at a ringed crow flying with bent head. 

"They killed, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Oh!! They killed. "

"You see, " said the hunter to the two boys, "the pair crouched here;these circular marks in the sand were made by the swing of thetails. They sighted game. One of them--the lioness, no doubt--workedround to drive the game towards the lion. "

"It is a guess, " said Compton. "Perhaps the lion stopped because ofhis hurt. "

"No; the bleeding has stopped. They not only sighted game, but thelioness drove it from the river-bed towards the lion, and the lionbrought it down. "

"Oh, come, " said Compton. "How can you tell that?"

"From the spoor"--laconically. "He sprang twice--here, where healighted the first time; and the second spring landed him on to theneck of an antelope powerful enough to struggle on into that thicketof reeds. There the two of them pulled it down. "

"And there he is!" shouted Venning. 

He pointed to the right of the reeds, and there was a greatyellowish beast walking away at a slow walk, with its head sunk. 

"The lioness, " said the hunter. "Venning, keep by me, but a littlebehind. Compton, when I whistle, fire into the reeds. "

Compton nodded his head, and the two went off, while Muata sat downas a spectator. 

Mr. Hume walked steadily up to within fifty paces of the reeds onthe upper side, then whistled. Immediately Compton fired. 

The lion was there. He signified his presence by a low growl, but hedid not move. Compton fired again, and this time the reeds shook, and a great shaggy head appeared, with its yellow eyes fixed on theboy. Mr. Hume made a slight noise, and the great head turned at oncein his direction. For a moment the lion exchanged glances, then witha growl he turned into the reeds to reappear further on, goingslowly in the direction of the lioness. 

"It is your shot, Godfrey; take him just behind the shoulder. "

Venning's heart was thumping against his ribs; but he steadiedhimself for the shot, and fired. The lion sprang forward, snarling, and faced about towards his enemies. Then up went his tail, and witha savage growl he charged straight down to within about thirty feet, when he stood for a moment, as is the way of the charging lion ifhis enemy stands fast. The pause was enough; and before the hugemuscles of the flanks and backs could be set in motion to hurl thegreat body forward, a bullet, crashing into his breast, laid him outhelpless in the throes of death. 

"Your first lion, Godfrey. "

"But you killed him, " said Venning, pulling himself together with agreat effort; for he had been through a very severe ordeal. 

"The first hit counts. See here, your bullet last night struck himabove the elbow, just missing the bone, and your second shot hit himlow down in the ribs. "

"My word, " said Compton, as he came up, his eyes blazing withexcitement, "it was grand to see that charge. Yes, and to see howyou two stood. My heart was in my mouth. "

"It's a simple shot, " said the hunter. "All you have to do is tokeep perfectly cool and wait for the lion to come to his stand. "

"Very easy, " muttered Compton, with a grimace, as he looked at thewhite fangs and the cruel-looking claws, finishing off that mightyweapon the lion's forearm, capable of battering in a man's head atone blow. 

The chief stood looking from the lion to the hunter. "Ye bebrothers, " he said, "ye two; both great men of the hunt; chiefs byyour own right wherever you go. "

"When I was young, " said Mr. Hume, "I shot lions for the pride ofthe victory; but long since I gave that up, and only when a lionseeks me have I gone out to kill him. "

"Ye be brothers, " said the chief. "The great one stands alone, forhe is merciful in his strength. The spotted one kills for the loveof killing. He will kill, if the chance comes, many times more thanhe can eat. The warrior will slay of his enemies all his spear canreach. The great one eats and is satisfied. The rest may live tillhe be hungry. I know, for I have met him face to face in the path. Isay to him, '''Inkose' (chief), the path is yours. ' I have stoodaside, and the 'inkose' has gone on his way in peace. '

"If you carried a rifle, chief, it might be otherwise. Take theclaws, Venning; we cannot find room for the skin. "

The claws were cut off, and they returned to the camp for breakfast. 

CHAPTER X

A NIGHT IN THE REEDS

It was good to sit around the glowing embers where the buffalo-steaksizzled and threw out an odour that made their mouths water, good tosip the hot coffee and to look out upon the great wilderness risingup to the distant watershed of the lower bank of the Congo. From thecliff above starlings flew out to seek their feeding-haunts wherethe big game fed; and there was a familiar visitor near them in theblack and drab stone-chat, whose scolding chirp they had so oftenheard in England among the gorse and bramble. The metallic cry ofguinea-fowl down by the little river had a farm-yard ring; but thechatter of parrots flying overhead was still new, and so with manyother calls, so that they sat munching in silence, with eyes andears too much engaged for speech, even if the buffalo-steak had notgiven their mouths other occupation. They saw the vultures speedingfrom out the uttermost reach of the blue vault to feed upon thecarcass of the dead monarch, the whereabouts of the feast havingbeen detected from their distant haunts by a keenness of sight whichfor swiftness outdoes wireless telegraphy. They swept on likefrigates of the sky, heads thrust down, and the vast wings seemingto bear them on without beat or motion. 

After breakfast the two boys left the camp for a little hunt ontheir own account, while Mr. Hume remained to help the chief curethe buffalo hide. They struck out down the river, passed the reedsout of which the lion had sprung, saw the cluster of vulturesstanding round the body of the lion, and then they saw a troop ofantelope grazing in a patch of mimosas. After a careful stalk, Compton fired, and the herd dashed off together, with the exceptionof one, which took its own course at a slower gait. 

"You hit him, Dick. "

"Yes; and we'll get him. You go to the left, and I'll keep him awayfrom the river. "

The two dashed off, each on his own line, and for several minutesthe stricken animal led them through fairly open country, with everypromise of a speedy run, for it was evidently hard hit. Then, takingadvantage of an old watercourse, it turned to the right, and whenCompton recovered the track he had lost touch with Venning. He gavea "coo-ee, " and then getting a view of the antelope making down tothe water, he turned it with another shot, and sprinted to overtakeit. Yard by yard he gained in this final burst, and shifted hisrifle to his left hand in order to have his right free to use thehunting-knife. Another effort and he was almost within touch; butthe buck also had a reserve of power, and, gathering its quarters, it made a couple of bounds, which carried it into the shelter of athin sprinkling of reeds. Compton responded, and in a few strideswas so near that he flung himself forward in an effort to getastride the animal's back. The buck slipped forward, letting himdown, and, when he rose he saw the white tail whisking round acorner in the reeds. On he dashed down a narrow path, which twistedand turned so sharply that he could only see a few yards ahead; buthe was never in fault, as when he could not see the game he couldhear it plainly, so he never slackened. The chase went on alwayswith the prospect of success tantalizingly before him, until at lasthe was at fault in a little clearing where the reeds had been beatendown, and from which there branched several lanes. He stopped tolisten, but the buck had stopped too. Then he searched for theblood-trail, and, finding it, set off once more, and this time, after another chase lasting about ten minutes, the buck wasovertaken and despatched. Then he threw himself on his back andpanted for breath. When he had recovered he sat up and wondered, forhis hands and bare arms were bleeding from a number of cuts thatbegan to smart most painfully. The sharp saw-like edges of the reedsbad cut into his flesh, and in the excitement he had not noticed theinjuries. Thanks, however, to the regulations enforced by Mr. Hume, he carried in the pouches of his belt a little store of quinine, vaseline, and meat lozenges. He rubbed the vaseline on the cuts, mopped his face, and felt all right. Then he put his hand to hismouth and gave a "coo-ee. " The call was strangled in the reeds. Hecalled again, fired off his gun, and waited, but he could hearnothing but a soft whispering. The reeds reached above his head, and he could see nothing but the matted stems around him and theblue sky overhead. He gave a grunt of impatience, lifted the buck, hoisted the body on his shoulder, brought the fore legs round on oneside, the hind legs on the other side, and secured them before himwith his handkerchief. Then he stooped for his rifle, and plungedinto a path with the object of tramping straight through to theouter edge, when he would get his bearings for the camp. 

This was more easily intended than carried out; for the reeds closedin so as to hamper his movements, and in a short time the path raninto other tracks, which doubled here and there without any decideddirection, and led him into little dens. In one of these there wasthe bleached skull of a buffalo, and he sat down on this toconsider. 

He got the direction of the sun from the shadows, made a rough guessat the points of the compass, and then started off again, pickingout a path that seemed wider than the others, and which led in theright way. After steady tramping, he found himself back at the veryspot where he had killed the antelope. It was a nasty shock, but, inno way dismayed, he tried to pick up his old spoor, and after apatient search he hit it off, and went on with a little laugh. Hehesitated when he entered another little open space, but finallykept on in the same direction, and finding the way easier, steppedout confidently, although the weight of the buck was beginning totell, combined with the closeness of the air in these long aisles. At last the reeds thinned, and he stepped out into the open. Heslipped the legs of the buck over his head to stretch himself, andthen a little cry of disgust broke from his lips, for the place hehad come to was not the outskirts of the reeds at all, but merely anopen space, larger than any he had met before, with a little grassmound in the centre. Mounting this, he could see a run of trees inthe distance, and in between a sea of green leaves, giving backmyriad points of light under the rays of the sun. Queer soft noisescame out of the white rows of reeds all around, and from the vastexpanse a continual murmur that was something like the moaning ofthe wind in the pines. 

He fired his gun off and listened. A faint far-off answer he thoughthe heard; but when he fired again he could detect no sound but thewhispering murmur. He cut a couple of stout reeds, fitted one intothe other, tied his handkerchief to the top, and planted the pole onthe mound. Then he placed the buck at the foot of the pole, coveredit with an armful of reeds, took a long look around, and started offonce more. He was resolved to keep straight on, path or no path, butafter a tussle with the serried ranks of reeds, with their razor-like leaves, he soon gave up that idea as hopeless, and took againto the paths--going very slowly, and taking his direction atintervals. But, try as he would, there were the kinks and twists inthe paths which turned him out of his course. The endless game-tracks formed a worse snare than any he had been in of humancontrivance; and at places, moreover, the ground was boggy, catchinghold of his feet, and exhausting him by the heavy going. Severaltimes animals broke cover and crashed away unseen. At one spot inthe ooze he saw the form of a huge crocodile, and at another placethe menacing head of a python was reared above the tops of thereeds, with his forked tongue flickering about the blunt nose. These sights, and the sudden snorts from unseen beasts, bred in hima growing feeling of uneasiness, which in turn weakened his powersof reasoning, so that he blundered hither and thither in a sort ofreckless fury, until he went flat, face downwards, in black mud, that gripped him at every point. If he had struggled he would havebeen hopelessly bogged, but luckily he recovered his wits, and sethimself slowly to extricate himself. His left foot was in up to theknee, and his left arm was sinking each moment, when he steadiedhimself and drew his knife. Beaching out, he cut a swathe of reeds, drew them towards him with the knife-blade, packed them under hischin and breast, then rolled over on to this firmer support, after astrong and steady pull. Repeating the performance, he managed to getone knee on to a bedding of reeds, then with one violent effortfreed himself and reached hard ground. 

This incident shook him up so, that coming, after another effort, tothe open where he had left the buck, he gave up the struggle, seeingthat he must think of some other plan if he wished to get alive outof this prison. 

First he rested until his strength came back, then he cleaned hismud-covered rifle, and scraped the black ooze off his clothes withthe knife. Then he heard a murmur in the reeds--a snap, then arustle; a long pause, then a rustling again. He stood up with rifleready, and he saw a reed shake about ten yards away, then heard itsnap. He shouted, and the rustling ceased, to break out after aninterval on the other side. Again it was resumed in the front, andin a little while it seemed to him that the reeds were alive withthe stealthy rustlings of beasts and reptiles, all moving towardshim. A reed bent again a little way off, and he fired in thedirection. There was a crash and a growl, followed by a peculiarmoaning from the opposite side. From somewhere deep in the sea ofgreen there came the hoarse bellow of a bull crocodile. Nothing nowcould have induced him to enter that bewildering labyrinth again, and he looked about with a shudder, for the day was sinking to itsclose, and the night would soon be upon him. There was only onething that could protect him in the night, and that was fire. With afeverish energy, regardless now of the rustlings about his littleisland, he began to cut the tallest of the reeds that were hard andsapless, and these he banked in six heaps round the base of themound; and when the task was done he reared a bigger pile in thecentre as a reserve. 

Then the black of the night swept over the reeds quick almost as theshadow of a cloud, and with the dark came a sad rustling, as of athousand whisperings. It was still and not still. Up in the sky wasthe quietness of a still night, the stars watching and brooding overthe silence; but down below, in and out of the miles and miles ofavenues, stretching every way through the millions of smoothgleaming stems, came a whispering as if creatures were moving tip-toe, moving up nearer and nearer, treading carefully, watching andlistening. An owl brushed like a shadow overhead, and his loud"whoo-whoo" floated away in sadness and sorrow. 

He sat with his back to the reserve heap of reeds, and waited withhis rifle over his knees for the signal to fire his first pile. There was as yet no clear meaning in those mysterious whisperings. What he listened for was a sound that he could interpret, and itcame very soon in the grunt of a leopard, harsh and grating. Thereeds rustled just before him, and then there came a sound, regularand strange--a thump and a swish, then a thump and a swish. Creepingforward, he put a match to the heap, then went back; and as the redflame crackled through the hard shining stems, he saw a dark formcrouching beyond, the green eyes blinking in the reflection, and thetufted tail nervously jerking from side to side. It was that madethe strange noise. As the flame grew, the leopard sprang up andturned away, stopping for a long stare over its shoulder. 

Light fragments from the burning pile floated high up like fire-flies, and far over the white sea of leaves shone the reflection. Others saw it from the far outer edge, and through the night camethe report of a gun, and then faintly the echo of a "coo-ee. " Heshouted back hoarsely, and though he knew his friends could notpossibly force the way to him through that barrier, impenetrableexcept by the devious game-tracks, he was greatly cheered. 

His mind was taken off his loneliness for a time, and he suddenlyfound that he was fearfully hungry. So with his handy knife hestripped the skin from a hind leg of the antelope, cut off a finesteak, and scraping out a layer of glowing embers, placed the meaton. With the cooking and eating of his supper the time wentcheerfully; but meantime the flame had died out, and somethingalighted with a thud just behind. He whipped round, but could seenothing, and moved to the fire to kick some of the live coals to thenext heap. In that instant the antelope was seized and carried offin a couple of bounds just inside the reeds, for he heard plainlythe tearing of the flesh, the snarls, the growling, and thecrunching of bones. He crouched near the fire, for it was notpleasant to think of that stealthy approach and that bold foray, andwondered whether the buck would satisfy the pair of fiercecreatures. The fire flared up, crackled fiercely, sending up, asbefore, its fiery messengers into the air, then gradually died downto a glowing heap; and the leopards were still at their meal, purring now, a monstrous cat-like purr. There was comfort in it, however, for it seemed to him to tell of hunger satisfied, and by-and-by they indeed went off, grunting to each other. Then therecame a long spell of silence. He gathered the unburnt fragments thatfringed the two heaps of embers and piled them on one of the heaps. They blazed up, and by the light he rearranged the other stacks offuel. He realized that he could easily be struck down by a leopardif he ventured away from a fire, and he hit on the idea of buildinghis fires in the shape of a cross, one at the top, one at thebottom, one on each side, and space inside for him to lie down. Inside he made a bed of reeds, from which he could draw supplies asthey were needed. He fired the top pile, and then, after a longwait, the bottom one, and when that had burnt down to embers, andthe night was far advanced, he stretched himself out, protected byfour smouldering heaps of ash, that glowed like four red eyes in thedark. 

He looked up at the stars for a long time as he rested in his lonelycamping-ground, and then dropped into an uneasy sleep. Somethingawoke him very soon, and his eyes opened on the dark vault above. Abooming noise reached him. It was the grunt of a lion this time, butfar off--a deep monotonous sound made by the lion on the trot, withhis mouth near the ground. It was very far off, and with a sigh ofrelief he closed his eyes. And then he heard the sound again, andknew it was not the lion that had awakened him. He rose on his elbowand peered about, but the darkness came right up to the ash-heaps, looking white now instead of red. He placed a handful of dry reedson the nearest heap and blew. There was a glow, a flicker, and thena flare. In the reflection he saw dimly a patch of white, thenanother patch next it. This roused him, so that he set all the fourfires going again, and, with his rifle ready, he stood up to seewhat manner of visitors these were with the white marks. 

He had heard slight noises as he fed the fires, and now the reedsrustled, but he could see no living form. Sitting down, he laid afew handfuls of reeds ready to each fire, then waited with shakennerves, for there was something mysterious about this visitation. The fires flared up and sunk back to red embers, and yet there wasno sign. The embers took on a covering of grey ash, then therustling began anew, and the white objects reappeared. He turned hishead, and saw that they stretched right round! What the dickens werethey? He strained his sight, and, at first indistinctly and thenclearly, he saw the gleam of eyes above each white patch. Softly helaid a few reeds on the embers, and as they crackled he saw one ofthe white objects move. As the flame mounted up, he made out ananimal with round ears and brindled hide, staring nervously at thefire. It was a wild-dog! Only a dog, and with a "shoo!" he thoughtto scare the creature off. The yellow eyes went from the fire to hisface, a red tongue slithered out over the black nose, and the dogsat down again. All round were the white breasts of the pack, asthey sat in silence and stared. He searched about for a missile, found an empty cartridge, and threw it. A dog leapt up and sniffed. The circle seemed to close in. 

He shouted at them, and they gave back a yelp, but never stirred. 

"All right, " he said grimly, then aimed at a white breast and fired. The pack scattered into the reeds; there was a beating and kickingnoise, followed by a wild rush, a savage snarling and snapping ofteeth. Dog was eating dog; and, with a feeling of disgust andcontempt, he prepared himself to rest. A little later the whitecircle was complete again, and the silent inspection was continued. This got on his nerves, and, springing over the fire with his rifleclubbed, he gave two sweeping blows. The dogs slipped away from hisfront, only to reappear with threatening growls on his flank. Heleapt back to safety and fired; but the light was bad, and hemissed. Piling on a few more reeds, he emptied his magazine rapidly, facing all parts of the circle, and making some hits, as he judgedfrom the howling that went up. 

"There!" he shouted savagely, "will that satisfy you?" The pack fellupon the wounded, and was back again into position, coming closerand closer as the fires died down. 

Then he remembered the stories he had heard of the persistence ofthe wild-dogs--how they would drive off even a lion from his prey--and he fell to counting his cartridges. There were only five left. He counted the dogs. There were more than fifteen, as far as hecould reckon; and if he reduced them to ten, he could not hope towithstand the final rush of ten big-jawed and active animals. Evenif he could keep them off in that open space, he could not staythere another day; and if they tackled him in the reeds, he wouldhave no chance. He began to rack his brain for a scheme; but whilehe thought, the circle closed in until quite plainly he coulddistinguish the staring eyes all centered upon him. He piled on morefuel, and as the flames sprang up they fell back. As the flames dieddown, they advanced as by a given signal. He kept on adding to thefires until his fingers, groping for fresh reeds, found none, andthe sweat broke out on his forehead. In one hour at least therewould not be light enough from the smouldering heaps for him to seea mark, and then--something had to be done!

No doubt the watchful eyes saw the sign of fear in his face. At oncethe circle closed in, and this time he could see that several of thedogs were not sitting, but standing, as if ready for the finalspring. He fingered a cartridge, then suddenly flung it into thetopmost heap of glowing ash. The eyes of the pack followed themissile, and for a second each dog looked at the heap. As theylooked there was a report, and a mass of live embers was scatteredhigh and wide, over them, over the opening, into the fringe ofreeds. With wild yelps of fear and pain the pack broke, and Comptongroveled on the ground with his hands before his face, for he hadflattened himself just in time to escape being blinded by theburning dust, some of which, however, did get into his eyes. Alittle fly in the eye, as many a cyclist has found to his cost, isenough to engage the entire attention for five minutes, but ahandful of ash gives more anguish to the square inch; and whenCompton succeeded in opening his inflamed vision upon the scene, atransformation had happened in the writhing interval. The air wasfull of a sharp crackling and little explosions, and the first thinghe saw was a slender tongue of flame running up a tall reed, andquivering for a moment high above. Other flames ran in and out amongthe withered white sheaths that had dropped off, and mounted up thesmooth stems, and then there came a wandering puff of wind, whichrustled over the bending tops and fanned the little serpent-tonguesof fire into one devouring flame. 

He had no wish to be roasted. Once more using his knife to cut downa sheaf of stems, he made a flail of these, and beat out the fire towindward. And as he worked on the one side of the little clearingthe fire grew on the other side, and then raced along, leavingbehind in the blackened area many separate fires, where masses ofreeds had been beaten down. And the smoke went up in a growing cloudthat blotted out the sky--went up and fortunately rolled awaytowards the great river under the sufficient strength of the wind;otherwise he would have been suffocated. The cracking of the reedswas like rifle-fire breaking through the roar of the flames, and nowand again the crashing of animals on the stampede could be heard. Helooked out upon his work with awe, stood and gazed spellbound, wondering if such a sea of flame could ever be stopped, fearing thatit would spread out into the bush beyond, and run up into the forestand devour every tree until stopped by the mighty river itself. Ashe looked, he heard some creature before him writhing in theblackened track of the fire, and presently he made it out--a greatcrocodile convulsively lashing its powerful tail. Going near withcautious steps, he put it out of its misery with a ball under theforearm; then he went on over the scorched ground very slowly, forthe burnt reeds were like sharp stakes to the feet. And as hefollowed, the fire died out before him, and began to eat its wayright and left, working back through the reeds against the wind. Then he heard the report of a gun, and as he stepped from the burntarea on to the short grass that had offered no fuel for the fire, something came springing around him, and before he could pulltrigger it was off with a yelp into the darkness under the canopy ofsmoke. "Coo-ee--coo-ee! Compton--ahoy! Compton!"

Compton croaked and hobbled on. 

Then the creature yelped about him again, and his friends wereshaking him by the hands. 

"You know, " he said with a croak, "I didn't mean to set fire to theplace. "

"Thank God, my boy, you did, " said Mr. Hume, fervently. Then helifted the boy up in his arms. 

"I can walk, " said Compton; and, to prove it, his head rolledhelplessly on his shoulder. 

Mr. Hume strode off to the river, and washed the layer of soot offthe blackened face, laved the red eyes, and moistened the crackedlips and parched tongue. Then he gave the boy a soothing drink, rubbed oil on his feet and face; rolled him in a blanket, andcarried him up to the camping-ground under the precipice. 

CHAPTER XI

A TRAP

In the morning they packed up and made their way upstream to theplace where they had left the sections of the Okapi, for such abanner of smoke as was still mounting from the smouldering reedswas bound to attract inspection from the natives. They found thehiding-place undisturbed, and, after putting the boat together, wenton down to the Congo. Slipping out upon the great river in the dusk, they went on slowly for several miles, tied up till the early dawn, and spread the little sail to the morning breeze. The boat had asingular appearance, for strips of biltong were suspended from theawning, not having been quite cured, and the buffalo-hide washanging over the side, in soak, to soften it for the finaltreatment that would take the hair off and leave it soft andpliant. 

Compton was allowed a day off, and slept the sleep of the tired; butthe others were all occupied--one keeping watch, another steering, and the third cleaning up. The jackal, like Compton, was unemployed, and curled itself up by his feet, opening one eye occasionally tosee that all was shipshape. Through the morning they went, and intothe afternoon; then Venning, who was outlook-man, gave tongue--

"A sail--a sail!"

"Where--away?" yelled Compton, waking up. 

"On the port bow, hull down, paddle showing. "

"Then it's a canoe, you duffer, not a sail. "

"A canoe it is, sir; single-handed, and bearing right down upon us. Shall we speak her?"

"Luff--luff! and we'll pour a broadside into her lee scuppers, " saidCompton, ferociously. 

"She's signalling, " returned Venning; "distress signal, I think. "

Mr. Hume went forward and took a look through his glasses. Asolitary canoe was certainly in view, with a single boatman aboard, who was frantically waving his paddle. Then he swept the shore forsigns of life. 

"There are some people squatting just by that tall palm, " hemuttered. "Have a look, Venning. "

Venning made out several persons at the spot. "They can't do us anyharm, " he said, and brought the glasses to bear on the canoe. "Thechap appears to be in a stew about something, from the way heglances over his shoulder. "

They sailed down towards the lonely paddler, who was soon alongside--thanks to an extraordinary agility. He appeared to be greatlypleased at the meeting, grinned continuously, and at once preparedto get aboard the Okapi. 

Mr. Hume, however, kept him off with a "not so fast" and a handagainst his breast. 

"Talk to him, Muata. Ask him what he wants, who he is, and all therest. "

Muata stepped into the canoe, caught up the paddle, and sat down topalaver. A line was made fast to the canoe, and it drifted astern ofthe Okapi, which kept on her course. 

The canoe-man's grin faded away, and his eyes rolled as Muataordered him to sit. He seemed to be a river tribesman, with only aloin-cloth on. 

"Don't eat him, chief, " sang out Compton; for Muata had a very uglylook on his face as he eyed the stranger. 

The man himself seemed to think there was cause for this plea on hisbehalf, for, to the amazement of all, he responded in brokenEnglish--

"Oh yeh-es, he eatee me. Poah black man come to white master forheiup, not to wild black man. "

"By Jove, he talks English! Let the poor beggar come aboard, sir. "

"He's all right where he is, " said Mr. Hume. 

The man did not think so, and began hauling on the rope, when Mr. Hume drew his knife and made as if he would cut the canoe loose. Heceased from pulling, and, after a despairing look, crouched down. 

"We will talk, " said Muata, courteously, poising the paddle in hishand. "How is your venerable mother?"

"She has a wonderful dish of fish and manioc for her son's guests. You will do her the favour to eat of that dish, " said the stranger, humbly. 

"And is your venerable mother's kraal up the river?"

"A sun's march distant, by a garden of bananas. Also there is a fatgoat. "

"And what does her excellent son so far from the village?"

"There were tales of bad men, " said the stranger, plucking upspirit, "and these tales drew me away, for the price offered fortheir capture was great, and my fetish told me where they werehid. "

"And the little son was greedy? He kept this word of his fetish fromthe honourable ears of his mother, so that he would have the priceto himself, eh?"

"Truly a great chief, " murmured the boatman, with reverence. "It wasas you say. "

"And it fell out that, when you came to the place where the boatmenwere hid, they were on their guard, so that you fled?"

"O great chief, it was even so. I fled in a canoe. "

"And seeing this our canoe of shining metal, you found courage toleave the reeds wherein you hid to come to us for help?"

"Oh, wonderful!" said the canoe-man, turning up his eyes. "Whenthese eyes saw your shining canoe, they were gladdened, for I said, 'Here come helpers. '"

"And you will take us to where these men are hidden, so that we mayshare the price that is on their heads?"

The man grinned. "You can have all the prize--all, " he said, "andafter we will go to my venerable mother, and eat fish and goats'meat. "

Muata smiled gently. "All the price?"

"Did I say all?" said the man, with a swift look at the chief. "Idid wrong to my people--a portion to them and a portion to me. "

"That is fair, " said Muata. 

"Oh, good words. See, I beat my mouth for the ill word I spoke;" andhe struck his mouth. "But see, O chief, we move on, and the bad menwill see us going, and make a plan to escape. "

"Let it be so. If they see us they will see we are passing on, andbe comforted. And who will pay the price that is set on theirheads?"

"They have the price with them, " said the man, with a cunning look, "in ivory, in palm-oil, and in many things they have robbed from thevillages. "

"And what avails them, all those things--which are heavy things--ifthey have no canoes to carry them in to the traders?"

"Did I say they had no canoes? A great fleet they have waiting inhiding, till all the band come together from the hiding, waiting onthe other shore. It was because I saw the fleet of canoes on theriver, crossing to the far side, that I hoped to surprise the fewwho were left. "

"And when may those canoes return?"

"The men collect their goods for the going; the time must be shortbefore they leave. "

"And where do the others lie hid?"

"By the great palm-tree, over there. "

"Where there were men sitting watching? It was because they had nocanoes that they did not follow you? Shall I tell you what was in mythought? This, that you and they were friends, and that you were thebait to draw us into the trap. "

The man grinned nervously, and glanced at the water. "Would a littleman trust himself in the power of such great chiefs, if his heartwas crooked. I came for help, but if it pleases you to continue tothe village, and to leave these bad men, it will please me also. "

"And if we attack these men, " asked Muata, after a pause, "what planhave you made for us?"

The boatman was relieved. His eyes brightened again. "See, we wouldland beyond that point ahead, and in the dark steal upon therobbers. "

"We are too few, " said Muata, after turning the matter over. "Now, if you could bring some of your friends to help, it might be done. "

"I am alone, and you are great warriors. Your name has gone abroad. "

"How? You know us, then?"

"All white men are the same in battle, " said the other, quickly. 

"Think over my words--that some men are wanted. There must be men toguard our canoe, others to watch for the return of the robbers fromacross the river. You must get men, otherwise we do nothing. "

The canoe-man pondered, then he clapped his hand over his mouth. 

"Yoh! The fear of death confused me, and drove from my thought thatmy brother is near with warriors protecting the gardens. "

"Good, then. Go to your brother. Bring him and his warriors to thepoint you spoke of, light a fire there to guide us, and in the darkwe will join you. "

Muata hauled on the rope, boarded the Okapi, and set the canoeadrift. 

"Do as I have said--gather the men quickly, light a fire, guide usto the hiding-place, and in the morning we will share the riches. Hurry!"

"And is that the word of the white chief also?" asked the man, suspiciously. 

"Did not the white chief leave this palaver to me? Go! for there isno time to waste. "

The paddle flashed as the man sped for the shore near the point hehad referred to, which was several miles above the spot where he hadbeen taken in tow. 

"Well?" said Mr. Hume, glancing at the chief, "He goes to collectmen to meet us this night. "

"So. "

"Wow! There are bad men--robbers--to be attacked, and much ivory tobe taken. "

"We want no ivory, nor quarrels either. "

"But I gave my word we would help him. It is a good thing to fallupon robbers. "

"If there is to be a shindy, I'm in for it, " said Compton. 

"Who are the robbers?"

Muata laughed, and snapped his fingers. "You saw the man in thecanoe?"

Mr. Hume nodded, and looked after the paddler with knit brows. 

"And you?"--to Compton. 

"I have eyes, chief. "

"And you?"

"I saw him first, " said Venning. 

"And he was a stranger?"

"Of course. "

Muata laughed. "White men know many things, but not all. Haw! Whoare those to be eaten up?" He touched his naked breast, and thenpointed at each in turn. 

"They would attack us, " roared Mr. Hume. 

The chief nodded. "Now you know who that stranger was who came withhis long story. "

"One black chap is like another, " muttered Compton. 

"Who was he?" asked Mr. Hume. 

"The servant of the white chiefs who bound me. "

"The Zanzibari boy!" exclaimed Venning. "My Jenkins!"

"Why didn't you knock the beggar overboard?" said Compton. "Whatcheek!"

"Does he know you recognized him?" said Mr. Hume. 

"The dog was afraid; but at the last he went away, thinking he ledMuata by a rope, as he would lead a goat. Had Hassan, the wolf, tried to blind Muata so, then----" The chief touched the hilt of hisknife. 

"Let us hear the story. "

Muata repeated the whole conversation with much byplay, evenimitating the tones, the nervousness, and the sly glances of theZanzibar spy, for nothing had escaped his keen glance. 

"And those men whose presence he suddenly remembered, and who areto meet us to-night, will be Hassan's slave-robbers, too?"

"Ow aye, " said Muata, with a ferocious gleam in his eyes. 

"So, then, they have been waiting for us?"

"On both sides of the river they have been waiting;" and the chieflooked out over the brown flood towards the north bank. 

"It was well you talked to the man, for he was skillfullydisguised, even to me, who am no child in these matters. "

"Muata is old in cunning, " said the chief, quietly. "If he were notwise, he would not be dreaded by the Wolf. "

"I never recognized the beggar, " said Venning, "and even now Icannot recall a feature that was like the Zanzibar! How did youdiscover him, Muata?"

"Wow! He wore nothing in his ears, there were no marks on his body, he had rubbed the dark juice of the chewing-leaf over his skin, andthere was a lie on his tongue, and in his eyes. Ho!--white men, thisis my word, that we fall on them to-night. " The chief picked up aGhoorka knife. "This is my weapon. "

"We are not man-hunters, " said Mr. Hume. "We will, however, hangabout till evening, so that they may think we have no suspicions, and then in the dusk we will push on. "

"Wow!" said the chief. "My plan would be to land above, to creepdown and take them unprepared. "

"And the canoes from the other side would steal across and cut youoff. No; we will leave them. "

"The canoes from the other side, " said Compton, starting up. "Irather think I saw one shoot into that island--the big one with thepalm-tree in the centre. "

"All right, " said the hunter, quickly. "Don't look that way; take inthe sail. If they are there, we don't want to draw their attack now. Get out the sculls, Venning, and keep her towards the sandbankahead. Just keep her moving. "

The sail rattled down, and the Okapi lazily moved nearer the shore, leaving about a mile of water between her and the island, towardswhich Mr. Hume, lying flat, was directing his glasses. The otherswere looking ostentatiously shorewards. 

"You are right, Compton; canoes are gathering under that island. "

"Congela, " said the chief, "there is a man watching us from theland. "

"Signal to him, " said Mr. Hume. "You see, what we want is to keepthose canoes where they are till night; and they probably won't movetill they have a signal from their friends ashore. "

Muata called out, and a man who was skulking behind a bush steppedout. 

"Why do you watch, my friend?"

"O chiefs, " shouted the man, "all goes well. The men will be here atnightfall, and the fire will be lit to guide you. "

"It is good, " said Muata. "We will wait. "

The man stood for some time watching, then went into the bush, andthe crew of the Okapi, to divert suspicion, got out fishing-linesand fished; but all the time Mr. Hume, lying under the awning, watched the distant island, which shielded an unknown number oftheir watchful foes. 

"Woo!" said Muata, "the great one was right; and Muata is still aboy. Haw! Truly, if we had landed, our journey would have endedhere. "

"Suppose the canoes dash out before dark?" said Venning. 

"Then we will make a run for it. "

It was a long, long afternoon. Anxiously they waited for the sun toset, and the boys marked the slow creeping of the shadows over theriver thrown by the ridge on the south bank, and anxiously Mr. Humewatched the island and the broad sweep ahead--for the danger wasahead. If the enemy had taken precautions to send a portion of thefleet up-river, they stood a chance of being intercepted. 

At last the hour had come. The sky was turning grey, the shadowsreached right across, and the evening wind was rustling the leaves. The Okapi began to move. She crept away from the shore, and thenturned again with her bows to the bank. So she waited a few minuteswhile the darkness deepened, then, as a flame broke out on land, thesail was run up; she came round once more with her bows up-stream, and slipped along. Looking back, they saw the fire spring up at theappointed landing-place, and, listening intently, they caught thecrackling of the burning wood. 

"They move, " said Muata. 

The others bent their heads, and presently they too heard the soundthat had reached the keener sense of the warrior--a rhythmical beatand hum made by many paddles as the man-hunters, who had hiddenbehind the island, were dashing forward in hot haste to catch theOkapi, which they expected would be landing its crew. But the Okapislipped on, and had a very good lead when Hassan and his slave-hunters set up a terrific outcry on finding that once more they hadbeen tricked. They made right across in a long beat for the northbank, then working the screw in turns, with the great lamp at thebows to scare off the hippos, they made good progress till sunrise. For five days thereafter they kept steadily on their way, meetingwith no adventure, and keeping out in mid-river to avoid theattention of the villagers. When, at intervals, they did land to buygoats'-milk, bananas, and manioc, they took precautions to approachclearings where there were only a few huts. 

CHAPTER XII

THE MAN-EATERS

On the fifth day they turned from the mighty Congo into a tributarythat threaded the dark mysterious forest, whose depths had neverbeen trodden yet by white men, whose dark retreats and sombreavenues, into which no ray of sunlight struggled, were the haunt ofthe gorilla, of pigmies, and of cannibals, dreaded most of all. After the broad Congo this was a mere thread, no more than a fewhundred yards across, a gloomy opening in the gloomy woods thatmarched right down to its shores; that sent out huge branches in aleafy roof over the water near the banks, making dark retreats, inwhich lurked watchful crocodiles. The stir and bustle of the greatriver found no echo in this silent byway. Nowhere was there anytrace of man. The forest seemed impenetrable, beyond all his punyefforts to make a footing. 

There seemed no room enough for a man to set his foot, so close wasthe foliage from the ground to the topmost bough of the tallesttree. Mile after mile they went on, without a sign of life, thenfrom the shore an arrow whistled, pierced the awning, and rang onthe metal deck. 

Compton put the wheel over, and the Okapi slid away from thatdangerous screen. Then they slowed up and looked, but there was nosound and no sign from the hidden enemy. Doubtless, fierce eyes wereglaring out upon them, but they could see nothing, and with a longuneasy look all around they kept on for a mile or so, when they cameupon a clearing that spoke of man. It spoke of man, but there wasnothing living in the few acres that had been hewn out of the woods. A ring of black embers showed where huts had stood, a dug-out canoelay half in, half out the waters, a broken clay pot, a rusty hoe, and a litter of bones were gathered forlornly in one spot, and astrip of cloth fluttered from a scarred post. They ran the Okapi in, and Muata, with his jackal, leapt ashore to decipher what thiswriting in the forest meant. The jackal showed none of the delightthat a dog would have shown under similar conditions, but at oncevanished into the wood, with his nose to the ground, bent on theserious business of life--that of nosing out the enemy, while hismaster, with his favourite Ghoorka knife in his hand, rapidlyinspected the ground. 

Instinctively they all felt the need for caution. The boys had theedge taken off their rash ardour long before, but that sinisterwarning from the forest in the shape of the arrow had driven homeagain the lesson that it was necessary to be always on guard. 

The forest, in its silence and in its gloom, was menacing. Theyglanced up the river. It stretched away like an avenue cut out of asolid mass of vegetation, and all the length to the spot where thebanks seemed to run together, as if the river had ended, there wasno sign of living thing. 

Suddenly an animal darted across the clearing and crouched behindMuata. It was the jackal, the hair on its neck erect, and its bodyquivering with fear, or excitement. Then a branch snapped with astartling report, there was a violent shaking of leaves, a shortbark-like roar, and then a noise of shaking gradually decreasing. 

Muata had fallen back to the river's brink at the roar, but now heturned his attention once more to the clearing. 

"What was that?"

"Man-monkey, " he said quietly. 

"Gorilla! By Jove!" and the boys stared into the forest, and then ateach other. "Perhaps he's gone to call up the others. Will he comeback, Muata?"

"Not he, " said Mr. Hume. "He's just about as frightened as we were. What are the signs, Muata?"

"Wow! Bad--bad signs. These be the bones of men;" and he turned overthe ashes with his foot. "They were few who made a home here, andthe man-eaters marked them for their own. In the night they fell onthe village, killed the men, and rested here while they feasted--rested till the last was eaten; then with the women and the childrenthey went back. That much the signs tell me. "

"Does he mean, " asked Venning, in horror, "that they werecannibals?"

Mr. Hume nodded his head. 

"The brutes, " muttered Compton, turning white. 

"I don't wonder, " said Venning, in a whisper. "This place is enoughto breed any horror. "

"It will be safe to land, " said the chief, quietly. 

"But what of the arrow?"

"That was not shot by a man-eater. It was the arrow of a river-man;maybe the same man loosened it as tied the fetish cloth to the pole, for one has been here since the man-eaters left. "

He put two fingers in his mouth and produced a shrill whistle. 

There was no answer; and after a time they all landed to stretchtheir legs, but the associations of the place, with those grimremains of the cannibal feast, were too terrible, and they did notstay long. As the Okapi resumed her voyage up the sombre defile, afaint whistle sounded on the opposite bank. Muata replied in thesame fashion, and called out. 

Back from the shadows came a quavering answer. Muata called again, and out from under the roof of leaves, formed by the overhangingbranches, shot a tiny craft, with two men in her. The Okapi sloweddown, and the little canoe, with many a halt, timidly drew near tillthe occupants could be clearly seen. One--he who wielded the paddle--was a young man, black as soot, with a shaggy head of frizzledwool, and wild, suspicious eyes. The other, who appeared to beurging the other to more speed, was an old man, whose head wascovered by an Arab fez. 

"Peace be with you, " said Mr. Hume, in Arab. 

"And with you, also, " replied the old man, in a thin voice. "Haste, my son!"--this to the paddler. "They are white men, such as I havespoken of. "

The canoe gradually drew near, and the old man held out a shakinghand to be helped on board the larger boat; but the wild manremained in his dug-out. The old man told his story slowly in astrange dialect understood by Muata, and the purport of it was thatthe cannibals had surprised the village at dawn, killed all the menwith the exception of themselves, and had gone off with the women. 

It was a familiar story to Muata, and he related it coldly; but hisindifference did not last very long. It was plain that the old manwas not of the same race as his companion, and when the two hadeaten, Compton asked the old chap how he came to wear a fez andspeak Arabic. 

"It is the speech of my fathers, effendi, " he said, turning hissmoke-bleared eyes on the young face. 

"And how came it that an Arab was dwelling with the river-people?"asked Muata. "Sooner would I have looked for an old wolf living atpeace with the goats. "

The Arab withdrew his gaze from Compton and fastened it on the otteroutlined on the chiefs breast. With a skinny finger he pointed atthe chief. 

"Allah is great, " he said. "This is his work; and you will follow onthe track of the man-eaters. "

"Save your speech, old man, for we work not for river-people; andyou forget the arrow that was loosed at us. "

"This one loosed it in rage at the loss of his wife, mistaking youfor wolves; but, even so, it was as Allah willed, for the arrowwarned you of our presence. "

"You speak in circles, my friend, " said Compton. "Show us the fingerof Allah in this matter?"

"This, " said the old man, solemnly, placing his finger on Muata'sbreast, "is he they call the River Wolf, the son of the wise woman, the warrior who will follow the track of the man-eaters. "

"What know ye of the wise woman?" demanded the chief. 

"We talked together, she and I, at the village that is burnt, of thedays when Muata was a babe in her arms, when these limbs of minewere strong to do service for a white man, whose voice was the voiceof the young effendi. "

"And where now is the wise woman, old man?"

"It is four days since the cannibals left. Tell me where they wouldbe, O warrior, for the forest is your hunting-ground. "

Muata lowered his eyelids, and took the news of his mother's captureby the cannibals in silence; but Compton was burning with excitementat the reference to the white man. 

"What white man was that you spoke of? I look for such a one. "

"Men search not for the dead, effendi. "

"But for signs of the dead--for the place of his burial, for thebook he wrote, for the things he left. "

The old man nodded. "Allah is great. Is it not as I said; you havebeen guided hither?"

"But tell me of the white man, " said Compton, impatiently. 

"We two, the wise woman and I, talked of the white man; and sheknows all. See, I am old, and the past is like a mist, through whichold memories pass quickly like shadows; but the wise woman can blowthe mist away. Find her, and you will learn all of my white man. "

More than this the old man could not say, and presently he fellasleep; but from the wild man Muata learnt that his mother hadindeed been at the village. 

"And you will want to leave us, chief?" said Mr. Hume, when thestory had been straightened out. 

"Ow aye. Shall a son leave the mother who bore him through thedangers of the wood? I will follow;" and his eyes lingered on theGhoorka knife. 

"The knife you can take, chief, and food; but we will miss you. Puthim up some biltong, Venning. "

Venning hesitated. 

"Put up some for me too, " said Compton, peremptorily. 

Mr. Hume raised his brows. 

"I mean it so, sir. You will remember that my great hope was to findsome trace of my father; and who can this white man be if he is notmy father? Will you take me with you, chief?"

The chief shook his head. "This river-man and I go together on thetrail. "

Compton stormed and begged; but the chief remained silent, with hiseyes on Mr. Hume. 

"What's all the fuss about?" put in Venning. "We have come here toexplore and hunt, not to crawl for ever up a river. What is toprevent us all from following on the track of the cannibals?"

"If Compton had made that suggestion, " said Mr. Hume, "we could atleast have considered it calmly in the interest of the whole party;but he has thought only of himself. "

"I am awfully sorry, " said Compton, firing up. "I did not think. "

"No, " said the hunter, drily; "otherwise you would have known that Iwould not permit you to leave us. "

"Of course I could not break up the party, " said Compton, eagerly;"but you will think over Venning's proposal, won't you, sir? We havecome to explore the forest. Let us begin now when we have such agood reason. "

"Do you hear, Muata; the young men say that we should all follow onthe trail?"

"It is my quarrel, " said the chief, not jumping at the offer. 

Mr. Hume smoked in silence. 

"Yet the man-eaters are strong, " Muata said presently. 

"They have also guns given by the man-stealers. The great one andthe young lions would be worth many men; but the forest is dark, theway is hard, and not fit for white men. "

Mr. Hume grunted. 

"When Muata goes on the war-path, he fights his own way, on his ownplan. On the war-path Muata is chief. "

The hunter turned his calm eyes on the wild river-man. 

"Chief of one. "

"Of one or none, it does not matter, great one; since to be chief isto do what is best. "

"Your plans are your own. Consider. If we go, we will do nothing tospoil those plans; but, in the end, if you want help to rescue thewise woman--your mother--then we will be ready to help you. "

"It is a good word; but consider also, great one, that those whowalk the forest must know the forest, and those who know the forestmust lead, lest there be divided counsels, and wanderings that leadnowhere but to death. "

"Am I, then, a boy at this work?"

"Wow! That was not my thought; but the lion hunts in the open land, the tiger in the bush. If the lion roared in the forest, see, theevil ones would hear and prepare a trap for him. "

"Well, chief, hear this. In all things I will take your advice. Ifit is good, we will follow it; if bad, you can go your own way. "

"It is well, " said the chief, slowly. "I and this man will follow onthe trail to find whither it leads. Tomorrow we will return, and ifthe great one is then of the same mind, we will start. "

"Good. In the mean time we will find a place where we can leave theboat, with such things as we do not need. "

Muata glanced at the old Arab, then said softly, "When you havefound your hiding-place, see that ye three only know of it. " Henodded his head. "I would trust no man with the secret. I should notlike to know of it myself, for the things you have would make one ofus rich. "

With a little packet of food, his Ghoorka knife, and his jackal, Muata entered the dug-out, and landed again on the clearing. Theywaved their hands to him, and then turned their attention to the oldArab, who was sipping a cup of coffee with every sign ofsatisfaction. 

"Old man, we go soon on the trail of the cannibals into the forestwhere you could not follow. What shall we do with you?"

"As Allah wills, " was the resigned reply. 

"Think. Is there any village where you would be safe until wereturn?"

"Few who enter the forest ever return. A day's journey in a canoethere is a path in the wood that leads to a village. If I couldreach the path, it would do; but----"

The Okapi straightway continued up the dark river, through thesilence of the sombre woods, and the old man drank his coffee, andthen gave himself up to the pleasure of tobacco, with his dull eyesfixed on Compton. 

In the afternoon he pointed to a palm-tree. "There is a path, " hesaid. 

"Is there anything you would like?" asked Compton. 

"Coffee is good, and tobacco is a great comforter. "

They made him up a packet of these luxuries, and added a blanket. 

"Allah is good, " he muttered. 

"After we have recovered the wise woman, maybe we will search youout, for we look, then, for the Garden of Rest. "

"Ay, so he called it. The Garden of Rest, and the gates thereof. Ay, I would see the place again. "

"You know it?" Compton said eagerly. "Then you must have known myfather. "

"A white man I knew, effendi. The good white man, many years ago;and my old eyes told me that you were of his blood. If the forestgives you up, search for this path and follow it; and if I be alive, I would go to that place in the clouds. Allah be with you. "

"And with you. "

The Okapi was driven into the bank, and the old man stepped ashore. 

"See that you keep your counsel, my friend, " Said Mr. Hume. "Wewant no prowlers about our camp. "

They turned the Okapi down-stream again, and considered where theyshould hide her, for that was a thing to be done with the utmostcare. It was, however, very difficult to decide; for in the screenof the wood, all along the banks, every spot seemed the same, andthere were many reasons against tying up in some dark retreat andleaving the precious craft to its fate, at the mercy of the risingor falling water, and at the risk of discovery by prowlingfishermen. 

"We must get her aground, " said Mr. Hume; and they poked into thebanks here and there in search of a likely landing, ultimatelyfinding a spot where a huge tree had fallen bodily into the river, dragging away with its roots a mass of earth. They marked the place, and returned to the clearing to camp for the night. By the light ofa fire and of the lamps they went through the stores, and made upfive packages, one for each man to carry. Sheets of oiled canvaswere left out, rubber boots, and oilskin coverings for their hatsand shoulders. In the morning Compton was left behind in theclearing in charge of the packages, while the other two took theOkapi down to her berth, which was about half a mile down on thesame side. They drove the boat into the little natural dock, thenwith their Ghoorka knives cleared a little place in the forest, andnext, with a small pioneer spade, dug a trench in the soft mouldmore than large enough to hold the boat. Then a foundation was laidof saplings; the walls were also lined with tough wood, and theOkapi, lightened of her cargo and steel deck, was bodily dragged up, and, after a long effort, safely lowered into the dry dock. Everything was made trim, a layer of branches placed over all, thenthe leaf-mould restored, and all leveled down. Working unceasingly, the job took them till well on into the afternoon, when they resteda while; then, with their knives in hand, set off to work their wayback to the clearing. All they had to do was to follow the river. Itwas simple enough in theory, but in practice it was a tough job, asthey had to struggle every foot of the way, squirming and crawling. When they heard Compton's hail they had come to the conclusion thatthe forest was a trap, its mysteries a delusion, and its generalqualities altogether disgusting. 

"You have been a time!" shouted Compton, as the two, hot, red-faced, and tattered, stepped out and straightened themselves up with handsto the small of the back. 

"I'm as hungry as three, and have been under a terrific strain tokeep from eating the finest and fattest baked 'possum you ever saw. Come on. "

"'Possum?" said Venning, hurrying forward. "There are no 'possums inAfrica. "

"Well, it's something. "

"Smells nice. "

"Sit down--sit down, and we'll find out what it is afterwards. "

They sat down with sighs of relief, and the "'possum" disappearedwithout a word being spoken. 

"Beggar was eating earth-nuts over there, and I bowled him over witha stick. See, there's his skin--long tail and sharp face. "

"Monkey, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Prehensile tail, " muttered Venning, examining that appendage. "Anyway, it was good. See anything more?"

"Lots. One crocodile, and about one million ants and insect things. Finished your job?"

"We buried the boat on the bank, and you youngsters had better be atgreat pains to take your bearings, in case anything happens; and fora sign we'll lash that pole and its bit of rag to the top of a tree. Up you go, Venning, and make it fast. "

The pole with its dirty flag was lashed to a tall tree, and thenthey waited for Muata. The jackal was the first to make itsappearance, but the chief was not long after, and the river-man, afew minutes later, looking quite exhausted. The chief first ate, then he washed, then at last he condescended to take notice ofthings, and then to give particulars. He had followed the trail ofthe cannibals. It led straight into the forest. They could follow inthe morning. 

With the morning came a heavy white mist that made travellingimpossible, and all they could do was to wait in the mugginessuntil, through a window in the sluggish clouds which hung lowoverhead, the sun shot its rays and sucked up the moisture. Thenthey started, and a minute later they were in the silence and thegloom of the most tremendous extent of unbroken wood on the face ofthe earth--a Sahara of leaves, stretching away to the east for fivehundred miles, and reaching over the same extent north and south. Trackless, the forest was, to any one not acquainted with itssecrets; but there were paths through it, and the villagers had madetheir own approaches to the main system of thoroughfares, so thatthe going was not difficult, especially as the direction up to acertain distance had been decided upon by the previous day'stracking. 

They had, however, to walk in single file, with much care to theirsteps, for the obstacles were ceaseless in the way of trailingvines, saplings, and fallen trees. The narrow and tortuous avenuethey threaded was gloomy in the extreme, affording scarcely anyglimpse of the sky, and opening out no vistas between the serriedranks of steins, each clothed in a covering of velvet moss, and alllooped together by the parasitical vines, whose boles were often asthick as cables. 

As they plunged deeper into the woods over a yielding surface ofleaf-mould, which sent up a warm smell, the silence was as thesilence of a huge cavern, into which is borne the hollow rumbling ofthe waves, the sound in place of that being the continual murmur ofthe sea of leaves moved by a breeze ever so slight, so soft that nochance breath of it found its way below. 

Yet the place was not really silent, and by-and-by, as their earsgrew attuned to the new surroundings, the boys detected the soundsmade by living things large and small, far and near--sounds whichseemed a part of the silence, because they were all soft and alittle mysterious, with a pause in between, as if the insect orcreature which made them was listening to find if any enemy hadheard him. They were little detached sounds, as if an insect wouldstart out to sing its song, and then suddenly think better of it;and even when some large animal made its presence known by thesnapping of a branch, or a sudden scurry in the undergrowth, thenoise ceased almost as soon as it began. 

"It gives me the creeps, " muttered Venning, after a long silence. 

"That's just it, " said Compton; "everything appears to be creeping. "

"Even the trees. They seem to watch and whisper and wait, and thenews of our coming has been carried right away for miles. Shouldn'twonder if the trees were to close in and shut us up. "

"Oh, come, now; that's a bit too fanciful. "

They shifted their loads to relieve aching shoulders, and kept onthrough the unending avenues in another long spell of silence. 

"Reminds me of the reeds again, " said Compton; "only this is worse. "

"By Jenkins! just imagine the blaze and the scorch if this forestcaught afire like your reeds. "

"Couldn't--too damp. We've been tramping for two hours, and I havenot seen a bird, or an animal, or a reptile; nothing but snails andants. Don't see where the game comes in. "

"We're not after game; we're after cannibals. "

"By Jove! yes, I suppose we are--that is, if they are cannibals. Ithought the species had died out. "

"It will be a long time before cannibalism dies out, " said Mr. Hume, who was bringing up the rear, "particularly in those parts wherethe people find a difficulty in getting flesh-food; but, at the sametime, scarcity of flesh-food does not always turn a tribe tocannibalism. What does happen is this--that people who live in apoor district become small In the Kalihari you find the bushmen, inthe forest you find the pigmies. "

"Then the forest is poor in animals?"

"It has its types, but I should say they must be very few. You see, animals want sun, And where would they find it here? No! whatanimals haunt the forest will not be found on the ground. "

"I see, " said Compton, with a grin; "they fly. "

"I know, " interposed Venning, triumphantly; "they live in the tree-tops. "

Compton looked up at the matted roof of leaves and branches. 

"Well, all I hope is that a tall giraffe will not fall through ontop of me. "

"There is one thing that should give you comfort, " said Venning, solemnly. 

"What is that?"

"It would be the giraffe who would suffer. "

"Wait till I have got rid of these parcels, young 'un, " saidCompton. "Are you getting tired?"

"Well, I am, " said Venning--"tired and stuffy. "

"Glad to be back on the boat again--eh? Well, if it's any comfort toyou, I'm tired too. Haven't got my land-legs yet. "

Mr. Hume cried a halt, to their great content, and though there weresome hours yet to evening, he set them to work to make the camp. Thework was the same they undertook each evening they were in theforest. First they cleared a circle about twenty feet in diameter, with an outer ring of large trees, and, using the trunks as posts, built a fence with the saplings and young trees. A hole was dug inthe soft ground for the fireplace, and another fence built round toscreen the glare of the fire. Next their waterproof sheets werearranged, the sheet of canvas stretched overhead, and, when all wasshipshape, the three white members of the party went through acourse of massage, which prepared them for the one good meal of theday. Then they overhauled their clothing, repaired any tears, oiledthe rifles, and entered up the log-books. There was always somethingto do, and according to the man-of-war discipline observed, everyman had to do his share of work--a rule which gave the mindemployment, and kept it from dwelling on the monotony and thedepressing silence of the woods. While the camp was springing intoexistence out of the tangled woods, the jackal kept guard, circlingat a distance, like a well-trained collie herding a flock of sheep. 

The first night was a repetition of many others. When the night camedown, as it did long before darkness set in on the wide river, wherethe afterglow was reflected from the waters, it was black beyondthought, so black that a few yards from the fire the sharpest pairof eyes could not see a hand held a foot away. And with the darknesscame a sense of mystery, a hollow murmur as of the surf heard a longway off, which intensified the brooding stillness; and at times thegroaning of the trees. 

"What noise is that?" asked Venning, hearing the sound. 

"The trees talk, " said Muata, gravely. 

"Eh? The trees talk! Wonderful!" muttered Compton, sarcastically;but, nevertheless, he listened with open mouth and staring eyes. 

"What do they say, chief?"

"The young ones ask for room; they shove and push to reach up intothe air, to feel the touch of the rain, to enjoy the warmth of thesun. "

"And the big trees?"

"They cry out against the young, who come thrusting their branchesup from below, who crowd in upon the old people. "

"And the squeaking noise?"

"That is made by one branch rubbing against another. Wow! It isnothing. Hear them talk when a wind is blowing; then it is as if allthe great ones were gathered together roaring to the four comers, with the voice of the storm booming from the skies, and thebellowing of a great herd of bulls, and in between the cries ofwomen in fear and the screaming of tigers. Mawoh! It is then a manwould hide in a hole. Now it is quiet; they but whisper amongthemselves half asleep, but in the morning they will stretch theirlimbs. "

"Of course, " said Compton, "and yawn!"

"How will a tree grow if it does not stretch? It bends this way andthat, to loosen the bark, to make its body and its arms supple andtough, so that it can bend to the blast and yet spring back straightagain. Tell me what would happen if the young tree were bark-bound. It would die--as these old ones die smothered by the creeping armsaround them. Ow aye, they stretch in the morning and grow. "

So they talked in the night, and listened to the strange sounds thatcame mysteriously out of the brooding silence. 

CHAPTER XIII

THE TREE-LION

The next day they came to the end of the trail that Muata hadfollowed with the river-man; but the scent was still on the ground, and for a mile or so the jackal led the way, slinking along like ashadow with his nose down and his bushy tail drooping. Then hestopped, and, after a look up into the face of his master, stretchedhimself out, as much as to say his part was over. 

"They have gained on us, " said Mr. Hume. 

"They rose early and travelled fast, " said Muata. "The scent iscold, but there is the trail marked on the tree;" and he pointed toa slight cut in the bark, from which had oozed a thick juice, nowcaked hard. 

"Some one pierced the bark. "

"It is the sign of the wise woman, and she made it, maybe, with awire from her armlets. "

They went on more slowly, guided only by the faint cuts at intervalson tree-trunks, all of which "bled, " giving out a milky sap; andthen again the sign failed. About them were the trees in endlesscolumns, overhead was the roof of leaves, and on the ground was atangle of undergrowth and decaying vegetation, that gave out a moistearthy smell, which set the lungs labouring for oxygen. The boyswere uncomfortable. Their skins were clammy, their eyes were heavy, and their limbs languid. Mr. Hume was glad to sit down, and evenMuata showed the effect of the muggy atmosphere in a dulling of hisskin. The river-man, sullen and silent, was alone apparentlyunaffected; but they did not reckon him one of the party, for no oneof them had broken through his apathy. 

Muata began patiently to make casts in that labyrinth that seemed tohold no living thing but themselves, and as he went slowly throughthe undergrowth, the boys went off to sleep, from which they awoke, heavy and unrefreshed, at the cry to "fall in. "

The trail had been recovered fifty yards further on, the interveningground having been covered apparently by the cannibals withoutleaving a sign. Venning blundered on a little way before hediscovered that he had left his bundle behind. 

"I'll wait for you, " said Compton, sitting down on a tree-stump, while Mr. Hume, who had left his position in the rear to consultwith Muata, had his back turned. 

Venning recovered his bundle, and turned to retrace his steps, butfor the time his heavy eyes were no longer faithful guides, and, instead of taking the right direction, he entered a likely lookingopening through the trees to the left and hurried on. When he hadcovered a distance that should have brought him to Compton, hestopped. 

"Halloa! halloa!" he cried. 

There was no answer. 

"Compton! I say, no larks. Where are you?"

A little in advance he heard the rustle of leaves, and went onquickly. When he reached the place where the sound came from therewas nothing there, and he gathered his wits together. With a littlelaugh at his carelessness, he began to retrace his steps, but therewas a problem to be dealt with at every step, for he could seenothing familiar. In that multitude of trees, planted so closetogether, each tree seemed alike. He put his hand to his mouth anduttered a long "coo-ee. " The call seemed to be shut in, sounding inhis ears very weak and quavering. 

"Coo-ee!"--and again "coo-ee!" Ah, that was an answer; and with aglad shout he set off in the direction whence came an answer to hiscall, forced his way through the undergrowth, tripped and fell overa dead branch with a thud that made his head throb so that he wasglad to sit back with closed eyes. 

When he opened them again he heard a rustling of the leaves, andmoved his lips to call out. "Compton!"

There was unmistakably the sound of some one jumping aside as ifstartled. 

"Over here!" said Venning; and then he closed his eyes again with afeeling of languor. Compton, in the meanwhile growing impatient, walked a few steps in the direction his chum had taken. The rest ofthe party had moved on, thinking, no doubt, he was following, and heknew that neither he nor Venning could pick up the spoor if theylost touch. He peered through the scrub for some time without seeingany one, and then he heard a low cry--a strangled sort of cry, as ifVenning were calling in a very feeble voice. Unshipping his Lee-Metford carbine from the loop, by which it hung at his side, hedashed forward, fully expecting to find his friend in the hands ofman or beast. 

But at the last stopping-place there was no sign of his friend; and, with head bent, he listened for some sound, his mouth firmly set, and his dark eyes glancing from under his well-marked, brows. 

He could hear the beating of his heart, and the innumerable creepingsounds that seemed to have no origin. He was about to shout, whenagain he heard a thin cry, and, suppressing the shout, he began toadvance cautiously from tree to tree, planting his steps carefully. In the soft mould he saw now the footmarks left by Venning as he hadhurried, the print of his heel at one spot, a little further on abroken branch, and next, some dislodged moss from a huge tree. Hepeered round this, examining the ground ahead, then stepped out intoa little clearing, across which Venning had walked. He started ashe looked down, then threw up his gun, with a quick glance round, for on the ground, side by side with the footprints, were the pugsof a lion or leopard. 

Venning was in danger, then! With an involuntary action he pressedhis hat down firmly on his head, then moved forward, swiftly andsilently, to another tree beyond. Looking round this, he saw atonce through the twining tendrils the form of an animal, movingslowly, with flattened ears and twitching tail. 

This did not surprise him, for he was prepared by the spoor; butwhat surprised him was to see that the brute was advancing towardshim--not retreating. For a moment he felt sick at the thought thathe was too late, that his friend had been already attacked, and thatthe beast had left Venning for the new-comer. 

The brute was unmistakably stalking some one. Its body was stretchedout, the forearms reaching out in long stealthy strides, the roundhead sunk low, with a fixed snarl that bared the white teeth. Aleopard it was in form, but without the black rosettes on a greyground, the colour being of a uniform yellow along the sides, withblack markings down the muscular shoulders, and a streak of whitefrom the throat under the belly. The eyes were large, and of agreenish hue. They were fixed in a steadfast stare on some spot tothe left. Compton glanced in that direction, and, to his joy, he sawVenning, alive, seated with his chin on his breast, and his back toa fallen stump. As Compton looked, the boy's eyes opened, and hishead turned as if he had heard some noise. 

Compton's distress left him. A feeling of great thankfulness sweptover him when he saw that he was not too late, that his friendlived; and with firm nerves he stepped clear of the tree to shoot. The movement caught the notice of the leopard. It had crouched downas Venning turned, but now it lifted its round head to view the new-comer. With a low growl it made a sudden leap forward, covering anincredible distance, which brought it nearer to Compton, and as itgathered itself together he fired, then sprang aside. There was arush through the air, a thud, and a tearing noise. There, almostwithin reach of him, with the blood running over its face from ascalp-wound, and its fore-paws tearing the moss from a tree, was theleopard; and, swift as thought, Compton fired from his hip at theshoulder. The leopard rolled over, growling, then tried to dragitself by its powerful paws towards Compton, its mouth wide open. Hefired again, into the gaping jaws, the muscles relaxed, the beastfell, and he ran towards Venning. 

"Are you all right, old chap?"

Venning held on to his friend's arm, and as they stood, the leopardscreamed. 

"He is quite done, old fellow. Come and see. "

Venning went forward quietly, as if still in a daze, and they lookeddown on the leopard, struggling in the death-throes. It raised itstorn head, and again the scream rang out from its red jaws--aterrible cry, and out of the forest came the answer, shrill andfearsome. With a low growl the leopard fell forward, dead; but theycould hear an animal advancing rapidly, with fierce grunts; thoughfrom what direction it was impossible to tell. 

"It must be the mate, " said Compton, with an anxious look atVenning. "How do you feel?"

"I'm all right now;" and he passed his hand over his forehead. "Ican help you this time. If it is the mate, it will go first to itsdead. "

"Then we'd better crouch down by that tree. "

They knelt side by side a little way off, with their rifles ready;but, though the noise made by the advancing animal grew louder, theycould see no movement whatever. 

Then an extraordinary thing occurred. A bough above shook heavily, and a large flattened body shot down from one branch to another, tail, neck, and legs at the full stretch, alighting easily on therounded branch. It paused for a moment, then flew right across fromone tree to another, a distance of about thirty feet, when again itgathered itself together for another flying leap to the ground, alighting with singular ease within a few paces of the spot wherethe dead leopard was lying. 

With outstretched neck and twitching nose, it stepped to its mate, sniffed, then threw its head up with bristling hair and emitted aterrible scream of rage, ending in a harsh cough. 

As Compton pressed the trigger it bounded aside, as if it had seenhim, and an instant later had reached the trunk of a tree. 

"Where is it?"

"Went up that tree, " said Venning, rising and stretching his neck. 

"You take that side, I this. "

They moved slowly, finger on trigger and eyes swiftly scanning thebranches, but they made the circuit of the tree without a glimpse ofthe yellow and black body that had so swiftly come and gone. 

"Where the dickens has it gone?"

"Maybe into a hole up there. "

They stood staring up in bewilderment, but there was not a movementanywhere, and presently they wandered around examining the treesnear. The beast had vanished as completely as if it had been nobigger than a fly. 

"Well, " said Compton, with a short laugh, "I'm going to take theskin off the dead one, before it disappears too. "

They set to work stripping the skin off the muscular body, stoppingoften to listen and glance around. The work, however, was completedin peace, and then, suddenly remembering their position, theyhastened to retrace their steps. Slowly they hit off the trail, andfinally arrived as far as the place where Venning had first missedhis bundle. 

"It's after us, Dick!"--in a whisper. 

"Where?"

"Up among the branches. I saw it spring across as I looked back. "

They looked up into the trees, and then at the dark shadows beforethem, for the afternoon was slipping away. 

"I don't like it. The beggar may spring on us at any moment. "

"Or it may wait bill it is too dark for us to see. "

"Yes, by Jove!"

"It is bad; but I am afraid we do not know the worst. "

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Hume must have missed us a long time back; and he would havecome after us if----"

"I see, " said Compton, gravely. "You think that something hashappened to them?"

Venning nodded. "It's all my fault, Dick. "

Compton was glancing up into the trees. "We must dispose of thatbrute first. But how?"

"I have an idea, " said Venning, after a long pause. "One of us willgo on. Animals can't count. Seeing one of us moving, he may showhimself to the other, who remains hidden. "

"Good. I will go on;" and at once Compton, taking the more dangerouspost, advanced slowly, leaving Venning standing against a tree. 

A few moments later the watcher saw a dark form flitting through thebranches high up, without, however, offering a ghost of a mark, andthere was nothing left for him but to follow Compton and explain. 

"And I suppose it's watching us now?" said the latter, gloomily. "Any good to climb up a tree?"

"I should think not. Why, it's at home up there. You can see thatfrom the length of the claws, and the length of the tail, which actsas a steerer, a balancing-pole, and a brake. You see when it bringsthe tail down---?"

"No, I don't; but I do see that we are in a fix, and that the othersmust be in a worse position. "

"I cannot imagine Mr. Hume being caught in a trap, especially whenhe has the jackal. "

"And Muata!"

"And the black chap!"

"By Jove! suppose that fellow has proved treacherous;" and the twoturned this unpleasant thought over in their minds until a lightsound attracted their notice. Looking up, they caught the glare offierce green eyes. 

"We've got him now!" yelled Compton. "Round that side. "

Venning dashed round the tree, and three shots were fired in rapidsuccession at a vanishing object. 

"Missed again!"

"By gum, yes; and if we go on playing hide-and-seek any longer, we'll be missing ourselves. We've got to build a camp at once. That's the place, between those three trees. I'll cut, and youbuild. "

Compton, rolling up his sleeves, cut down saplings, and Venningbuilt a low roof, using the long tendrils of the creepers to bindit. Then the spaces in between the trunks were filled in, and largechunks of tinder were cut out of a fallen tree and placed at theentrance, a fire of dry wood being made in a hole inside. There wasenough water in their flasks for a "billy" of tea, and by the timethey had finished their meal the darkness was on them. No sooner hadthey settled down to watch than their foe was down, sniffing out theposition, and they were thankful they had acted in time. They beardit at the back first, then overhead, and next at the side, itspresence indicated by low growls. Then it was in the front, andCompton fired at a momentary gleam of two luminous spots. It boundedright on the roof, which shook to its weight, then clawed up a tree, detaching fragments of moss, and again leapt to the ground, emittingthis time a ferocious roar. It seemed as if its long patience wereexhausted, and that it was lashing itself into a fury, for it washere and there with lightning quickness, striking blows at thefence, and at times seizing a branch in its teeth, but so quick thatthey could not move their weapons smartly enough to cover the pointof attack. 

It was nervous work for the watchers. Every moment they expected tofind themselves under the claws and teeth of the maddened beast, with the odds all against them, for in such a small enclosure theywould be helpless. It was bad enough when the brute was emitting histerrible roars and screams, but the spells of silence were worse. 

In one of these spells Venning felt for the raw skin of theslaughtered leopard, and threw it out into the darkness. There werestealthy footsteps, the noise of sniffing, followed by the sound ofan animal rolling on the ground, and they fired together. With asnarl the leopard bounded right to the very mouth of the opening, knocking over the smouldering tinder and sending out a shower ofsparks. Venning fired. Compton lunged forward with his big knife, and the leopard leapt aside. 

"Hit him that time, I bet, " muttered Venning, who was shaking withexcitement. 

Then followed a weary time of waiting in complete silence, brokenonly by the soft melancholy murmur of the forest. They refilled themagazines of their carbines, built up the tinder fire, and stretchedtheir ears to catch the first warning note of danger. Then thewhisperings swarmed in upon them. A creak of a branch, the turn of aleaf, the scraping of creeping insects, the whizzing of moths, andthe murmur of the forest, all seemed to them the whisperings ofstealthy foes. Every now and again they moistened their lips, whichdried after the repeated spells during which they held their breath, while intently listening for the footfalls of the enemy. 

Then, with a feeling of relief, they heard an unmistakable wouf!That, at least, was a tangible sound--the sound of a startledanimal. 

Presently they heard its footsteps, as it came cautiously forward, alittle way at a time. Once more the fingers coiled round thetriggers, and the barrels were raised. 

Then came a yelp, this time of fear, followed by the leopard'sterrible scream. Some animal darted by the opening, so close thatthey could see the gleam of its eyes as it glanced in upon them, andafter it with a bound went a larger form. They listened to thedwindling noise of the chase, and Compton stirred up the fire. 

"What's up now, eh?"

"It, " said Venning, referring to the leopard, "is after something, don't you think?"

"I hope to goodness it will have a good run, then. "

But even as he spoke the sound of the chase grew; the smaller animalflashed by again with the savage pursuer at its heels, flew roundthe trees, and leapt inside--leapt in and pressed itself down behindthe two of them. With a snarl, the leopard stopped before thesmouldering logs, and then sprang on to the roof, at which itstruck two or three tremendous blows before bounding off again. 

"Where's my knife?" yelled Compton. 

Venning felt a warm tongue on his hand, and drew it away with a cry, as if he had been stung. 

"Use your knife, man. I'm blinded. "

"All right, " gasped Venning. 

"Feel for it first, or you'll be hitting me. Quick! I say. "

"What is it?" cried Venning, alarmed at the sudden change inCompton's tones from rage to alarm. 

"Something's pulling me. It's got its arm through the side. "

There was a sudden fierce yap and a snapping of jaws. Compton'sshirt gave way with a tear, and outside in the dark the leopardscreamed. Inside the cry was answered by the howl of a jackal. 

"It's our jackal, " shouted Venning. 

"Where--what?"

"Here;" and Venning laughed hysterically. "Poor old chap!" then, "Good old jacky!"

"Nonsense!" said Compton; but his band groped out in the dark, andwhen he felt the rough tongue, he joined in the laugh. They were aspleased as if Mr. Hums or Muata had returned. 

"Did the brute really hook you?"

"Forced his paw through, " said Compton, shuddering, "but the jackalbit him. "

The jackal's tail thumped the ground, then they felt it stiffen, andwere again on the alert. Venning ran his fingers lightly along thejackal's back till he reached the nose, which was pointing straightup. Without a moment's delay he raised his rifle and fired. 

At the same moment the saplings forming the roof snapped and fell inupon them with an added weight, which knocked them flat. They weredimly conscious of a tremendous struggle, but when they had crawledout of the litter, they were thankful to find that each was stillalive. After the first hurried words, they faced the darknessapprehensively, for their shelter was gone, and their rifles wereunder the branches. 

"Quick!" said Compton, "help pull the branches away. "

Guided by the tinder, they felt for the branches and pulled, but letgo at once and fell back, for a fierce growl greeted them almost intheir faces. 

"By Jove!" muttered Compton, "it's all over now. Don't run; let usstick together. "

"I'm not running, " said Venning. "We've got our sheath-knives. "

They drew their knives, and, holding each other by the disengagedhand, fell back step by step, till they found the support of a tree-trunk, when they waited for the attack. From time to time the lowgrowls gave warning of the enemy's close presence, and to them eachsound was as a death-knell; for what were their knives against a foeso powerful, who had, too, the advantage of sight?

For perhaps two hours of awful suspense they stood, and then Comptonlost patience. 

"I can't stand this, " he said. "That brute's playing with us, andI'm going to finish it. "

"Wait; when the morning comes we can see. "

"Will it ever come? No. "

Compton struck a match, cradled it in his hand till it caught, then, with his face showing rigid by the reflection, he moved forward. Venning went too, shoulder to shoulder. Each held his knife, pointup, every muscle on the strain. A snarl greeted each step, andpresently they saw two glowing spots before the match went out. Another match was struck by a steady hand, and this time the spotsblazed out from the blackness. 

Venning felt for his log-book, tore out a sheet, screwed it up, litit, and held the flame up. 

There, less than six feet away, was the leopard, its mouth open, thegleaming fangs showing their full length--a sight so forbidding thathe dropped the paper and sprang back. 

"Light another, " said Compton, steadily. 

This was done. He went down on his knees, reached out, seized thebutt of a rifle, and drew it forth. A second later a bullet crashedinto the brain of the leopard, and then, worn out by the strain theyhad been under so long, they sat with their backs to the trees. 

"I'm going to sleep, " said Compton. 

"I wonder what's become of the jackal?" muttered Venning, drawing uphis knees with a sigh of relief. 

"Don't know, and don't care, for he's better off than we are. Goodnight. "

"Good night, old chap; and it was awfully good of you to turn back. "

Snore! Venning yawned, and in five minutes they were both asleep inthe forest, without so much as a twig to cover them. But they werenot altogether unprotected, for when they rubbed the sleep out oftheir eyes in the morning, they found the jackal curled up at theirfeet, with one ear cocked and one eye open. But a very differentjackal he was from the graceful animal they knew so well. His bodywas distended to enormous proportions, and it was clear how hisabsence was to be accounted for. While they had stood in the dark, expecting every moment to be pounced upon, he had been gorging onthe dead leopard. They now looked at their foe of the night, andfound why it was that it had left them uninjured. There were threewounds on the body--the bullet-hole in the forehead, a fleshy woundon the hind leg, and a hit on the spine, which had disabled it justas it was in the act of springing down upon the roof. 

"It's your bag, " said Compton. "To think that we stood shivering andshaking for two mortal hours, while all the time the beggar washelpless!"

Venning did not echo the complaint; he was too much occupiedexamining his prize, and taking exact measurements with a tape, which he entered in his log' book, together with a description ofthe markings. 

"It's a new species, " he said, with the pride of an explorer whodiscovers a new mountain. "I will call it a tree-lion--leoarboriensis Venningii--that is, if you don't wish it called afteryou. "

"Call it anything you like, old fellow; but I should say it was justan ordinary leopard. "

"You never saw a leopard with those markings. "

"And no one ever saw a climbing lion. "

"It has adapted itself to changed conditions. The markings matchthe colouring of the branches, and there has been a change in theformation of the claws"--holding up a huge paw--"while the forearmis a little curved, and the skin between the elbow and the bodybears a resemblance in its growth to that found on the so-called'flying-squirrel. '"

"It's a tough customer, whatever it is, and I hope that it is thelast of its kind. Do you know that we have no more water?"

"I shall examine the contents of the stomach, and I fully expect tofind that its usual prey is the monkey. "

"It had a great hankering for white man, at any rate. Did you hearme say there was no water?"

"Its hind legs are very much longer than the fore legs--anotherproof of an arboreal existence. It's a most important find. I wishMr. Hume were here. "

"So do I, " said Compton, heartily, stirring the jackal with hisfoot. 

That sagacious animal rose slowly, stretched itself, one leg at atime, sniffed at the dead leopard, or tree-lion, whatever it was, and then curled itself up again. 

"Coo-ee--coo-ee!" came out of the woods. 

"Coo-ee!" replied Compton, to the glad sound. "Coo-ee!" and he firedoff his gun. 

Muata's shrill whistle pierced through the files of trees, and thejackal slunk away. 

"Hurrah!" yelled Compton, taking off his cap. "Hurrah! Here we are--all safe!"

"All safe, thank God;" and Mr. Hume hurried forward, with his eyesbeaming. "Thank God. "

"It is as I thought. Here is the hind leg of a monkey, with some ofthe hair still attached;" and Venning held up a disgusting-lookingobject. 

Mr. Hume looked at the dead animal, the broken hut, and back atCompton. 

"We shot it last night, and its mate in the afternoon. "

Then he pulled Venning to his feet and shook him. "Believe he's goneoff his head. "

"I've not, " said Venning; and he held out a blood-stained hand toMr. Hume, who took it with a great happy laugh. "Have you seen abeast like that before, Muata?"

"Any one would think, " said Compton, "that nothing had happened--that we had not been lost, and that he had not brought us into thismess. "

"Steady, " said Mr. Hume, with a smile. 

"Dick is right, sir. If it had not been for him, I should have beendead. I am a little bit excited now; but I will tell you all soon. Well, Muata?"

"Wow!" exclaimed the chief, who had been talking with the river-man. "One of these I have seen, and he also. It was a great thing to killtwo; of all things that walk they are the fiercest. "

"And I am very thirsty, " said Compton. 

"Their home is in the trees, " continued Muata. 

Venning nodded. "Leo arboriensis. "

"Venningii, " added Compton, as he took his lips from a water-bottle. "And now we'll have breakfast, if you don't mind. "

CHAPTER XIV

THE OVERHEAD PATH

"We were stopped by ants, " said Mr. Hume, in explanation. 

"By ants!"

"No less. I missed you not long after we had started, and passed theword on to the others to turn back. And in the mean time an army ofmarching ants had cut the line of communications. 

"Couldn't you sweep them aside, or jump over?"

"I did not venture to try, my boy. I did try climbing across fromtree to tree, but their skirmishers were everywhere. As for jumpingacross, I took the chiefs word for it, that the feat was impossible. Once that kind of ant gets a grip, he does not let go, except withthe morsel he has fastened on to. And there were millions!"

"I can hardly imagine you were stopped by ants, " said Compton. 

"The ground before us was alive as far as we could see, and red. Itwas like standing on the bank of a river, and the myriads went onthrough the day until dusk. I have seen swarms of locusts on themarch in the voetganger stage, and a large swarm will cover a lengthof three miles, but never would I have believed so many livingthings could gather together. "

Compton laughed again. "Held up by an army of ants! I can't get theidea. "

Mr. Hume rolled back his sleeves, and there were red marks fromwrist to shoulder. 

"And that was done only by the scouts on the tree I attempted toclimb. Muata says they have put whole villages to flight. "

"Eweh, " said the chief, "and even the elephant will turn from theirpath, else would they get into his ears, his trunk, and to the softparts between his legs, biting each a little piece of skin. Theyfear nothing. Death to them is nothing. I have seen them stop a fireby the numbers of dead they heaped upon it in their march. "

"So we had to wait, and it was not a pleasant time for me. But, thank goodness, you are safe--aye, and safe, thanks to your ownpluck. "

"Dick did it all, " said Venning. "I seemed to get dizzy all atonce. "

"I am not surprised, " said Mr. Hume, looking grave; "and I think weought to go back. The air is too heavy. "

"After a good sleep I shall feel better, " said Venning. 

"It would be too bad to turn back. "

"It would be too bad if you fell ill. "

"What do you say, Muata?"

Muata lifted his hand. "Those who would cross the forest must be ofthe forest. Who are the people of the forest? Not those who live inthe plains. Even the river-people are afraid to go far in. What arethe creatures of the forest? They are those born among the trees, and those who dwell in the open seldom enter into the darkness andthe quiet of the wood. "

"Yet, " said Compton, "there are people of the forest, and animalsalso, and they live. " "For them are the trees. "

"But when they go about they must travel under the trees. "

"That is your word, " said the chief. "But it must be so. "

"Muata is right, " said Mr. Hume. "We have only entered the fringe, and already we are different people. The lungs cry for pure air. "

"Yet there is a way, " said Muata; and his eyes fell upon the tawnyhide of the tree-lion. "How, chief?"

"On top of the trees, not under!" cried Venning, who had seen thatthe chief was working up to some point. 

Muata spread out his fingers gravely. "Even so, " he said. "There arepaths on the tree-tops known to the little people, and made by them. Maybe they will let us travel also by them. "

The others stared at the chief in amazement; and even Venning, inspite of his intelligent anticipation, was too surprised to speak. 

"There you can look upon the sky; there the wind blows fresh. "

They looked up at the roof of branches, and then around into thesombre aisles. 

"And where are the little people?" Muata smiled. "Who knows? Theycome like shadows, and like shadows they go. Even now they may benear watching to see if we are friends or enemies. "

"You would not tell us an idle tale, chief. Let us hear what is inyour mind. "

"Stay here, my friends, while I seek the little men. Maybe, if Ifind them, they will put us on our way; but if I fail, then my wordis that you go back to the river, lest the sickness of the woodscome upon you. "

"We will wait; but I have seen no signs of the little men. They maybe far and difficult to find. "

"They have watched us all the way, " said Muata, calmly; "and it wasin my heart that they had fallen upon the young chiefs in thenight. "

"Glad we didn't know, " said Compton, thoughtfully. 

Muata went off on his self-appointed task, and the white men felt, as they saw him disappear, how impossible it was for them to copewith the mystery of the forest. They were even more helpless thancastaways at sea without a compass; for at sea in the day there isthe clear sweep to the horizon miles away, while in the forest allthey could be certain of was a little circle with a radius of lessthan fifty yards. Beyond that was the unknown, because unseen--avague blur of trees that might be sheltering wild animals or savagemen. And what made their helplessness the more felt, was theknowledge that Muata knew so much, and that others--the mysteriouspigmies--knew still more. If there had been open glades, stretchesof greensward, rippling brooks, or even a hard clean carpet such asis found under a pine forest, they would have been undismayed; butthis gloomy, shrouded fastness, without glimpse of sunbeams, wasbecoming a nightmare. 

Yet it would never do to become a prey to depression, for there isno danger so fatal to the explorer as low spirits, the forerunner ofsickness. 

By common consent they fought against a strong fit of the blues. Mr. Hume and Compton held a consultation over Venning, examined him, doctored him, and put him through the ordeal of a Turkish bathroughly made with the aid of the oil-sheets. After that he wasrolled up in blankets and left to slumber. Compton was next treatedin the same way, and then Mr. Hume busied himself with his note-book. 

When the boys woke up in the afternoon, much refreshed, Muata hadreturned. 

"Fall in, lads. "

"Has he found them?" and the boys were up and glancing round for thepigmies. 

"Yes; we are to go 'upstairs' at once. "

"But where are they?"

"The little people have gone on, " said Muata. "They will spy out onthe man-eaters. "

"You really did find them?"

"Ow aye; they know Muata. They and I have been on the path before, else they would have fallen on the young chiefs in the night--forthey saw. The killing of the fierce ones much rejoiced them. Itopened their lips about the upper way. "

"We are ready, " said Compton, "for the upper way--for the trapezeand the aerial flight. "

Muata struck off into the woods, and the rest crowded on him, glancing up at every tree for signs of the new track. 

"Behold the road, " said the chief, showing his white teeth in a raresmile, as he caught in his hand a trailing vine that swung clearfrom the neighbouring growth, and reached up forty feet or so to athick branch. 

"Are we to swarm up that?"

Muata nodded. 

"And what will you do with the jackal?"

The chief turned a look of disgust at his bloated ally. "He willfollow underneath;" and reaching up, tie went hand over hand, usinghis toes very much like fingers to help. Then he lowered a ropewhich he had coiled round his waist; and Mr. Hume, putting the loopunder his arm, trusted his weight to the swaying vine. Venning andCompton followed, with the help of the rope, but the river-mandeclined. He preferred to travel on the firm ground with the jackal. From the branch the four passed to the fork of the tree and held on. 

"I don't see any path, " said Venning. 

"Nothing in the shape of a foot-bridge that I can see; and it wouldnot be quite safe to fall, would it?" replied Compton, as he glanceddown. 

Muata went on up into the topmost branches, and, when they followedhim, they found a small platform of saplings lashed to the branchesby vines, and from this vantage they looked out over a wonderful seaof leaves, reaching unbroken as far as eye could reach, with billowsand hollows, patches of light and shade, and splashes of colourwhere red flowers gleamed. And it was good to see the domed sky, thewhite clouds racing low, with shadows moving swiftly over that seaof leaves; to see the flight of birds, and to hear the voices ofliving things. 

The tree on which they stood was very tall, but there were others astall, standing up like rocks out of the sea; and when they grewaccustomed to the strange surroundings, they saw something peculiarin the shape of these tree islands. They were cleft through thecentre, leaving a narrow passage, quite distinct to any one standingin line--as they were, for instance--with the domed head of a talltree about three hundred yards away. 

"That is our way, " said Muata. 

"But where is the foothold?"

Muata pointed to notches cut in a lateral branch, and walked to theend of it, steadying himself by holding to a guiding branch above;then passed over the slight intervening distance between the lastnotch and the next tree by swinging on a vine tendril, otherwise a"monkey-rope. "

The others followed very gingerly, for the feat was like walking ona yard-arm, but each in turn reached the farther tree. After alittle, as they went on, now walking, now swinging, they all wereable to pick up the singular track by the notches, by the lay of thelateral branches, and by the absence of projecting twigs along thecourse. These had all been cut back, leaving a sort of tunnel, noteasily discernible, however, because of its undulating character toaccommodate itself to the varying height of the trees. They verysoon found two obstacles in the way of easy progress, due to thesmall size of the engineers who had designed this extraordinaryroad. In the first place, the notches on the branches were toosmall; and in the next, the tunnel was too low for their height, sothat they had to stoop; while it was also evident that the overlandswing-bridges between the trees were too frail for their weight. They quickly, therefore, resorted to their Ghoorka knives and to therope. Venning, being the lightest, crossed over first by the monkeyvine-bridge, when he made the rope fast to his end. It was thensecured at the other, enabling the heavy weights, Mr. Hume and thechief, to pass next, Compton bringing up the rear with the roperound his waist, to guard against a fall in case of accident. Naturally, their progress was at first very slow, though not so muchslower than it would have been had they to force a way through theundergrowth below; and the river-man found his work cut out to keeppace underneath when at times he encountered dense thickets. 

By the time they had covered the three hundred yards and reached thenext platform, they were finding their "tree-legs. "

They stopped a while to take their bearings, looking out on the sameunbroken expanse of tree-tops, tossed up into all manner ofinequalities, and then recommenced their acrobatic, performance, making for the next "station. " With a few slips, a few scratches, and bruised shins, they kept on until they had covered about a mile, when the growing dusk warned them to form camp. 

"We'd better go down below, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Not I, " said Venning. "I had enough of down below last night; I'mgoing to sleep on deck, sir. "

"Ditto, " said Compton, emphatically; "and I don't see why we allshould not camp out aloft. We could easily widen the platform, rigup the waterproof sheets as a tent, and haul up some mould to make afireplace. "

The idea was acted upon vigorously, the platform widened andstrengthened, the roof pitched, the mould hauled up in a bag madeout of one of the leopard skins, and the fire lit upon a foundationso made. They roosted high and secure, but they could not claim inthe morning that they had passed a pleasant night, for the bed washard, the space cramped, and each one dreamt he was falling off atremendously high perch. Moreover, sound travelled more freely upabove, and, in place of the brooding silence of the under-world, there were many strange noises up aloft, the most menacing being anoccasional booming roar, which they recognized as the cry of thegorilla. 

The morning was wet as usual, and heavy clouds trailed over theforest like a leaden mist on the sea. They crouched under the tent, listening to the drip, drip, drip, and filling their water-bottlesfrom the tricklings. About ten the clouds lifted, and then the sundrove his arrows through until, almost in a twinkling, the great wetblanket rolled itself up and vanished swiftly into the horizon, leaving behind the sparkling of myriad raindrops on the leaves. Thenfor an hour the forest steamed, as the sun licked the drops off theroof and chased the moisture along the boughs. When the way wasdried for them, they went on, going barefooted this time, for thebetter grip to be obtained. 

Other creatures had waited for the drying of the leaves besidethemselves, and whenever they passed the white-grey branches of awild fig tree, they were treated to a scolding from green parrots onthe feed, and heard frequently the clapping report of the wood-pigeons as they brought their wings together, and the harsh cry ofthe toucans. Oh yes, there was life and there was death. 

Venning, going on ahead, saw below him in the fork of a tree theface of a monkey, with the eyes closed as if in sleep. He stopped tolook, stooping his head, and his eyes caught a slight movement. Thenhe saw that the sleeping monkey was cradled in the coils of a pythonresting in the forks of the tree, its head raised a little, and itstail gripping a branch. The head of the monkey rested peacefully onone of the black and yellow coils, for death had come upon itswiftly. 

"What do you look at?" asked Muata, bending forward. 

"Shall I shoot?

"So, " muttered the chief. "It is the silent hunter. Let him be; lethim be, and pass on. No other looks at man as he looks. It is hiskill; pass on. "

They passed on, leaving the "silent hunter" with the monkey, thatlooked as if he slept, and silent and motionless he remained as eachone paused to glance down, his dull, unwinking yellow eyes showinglike coloured glass in the lifted head. 

"Look well, " said Muata, warningly; "where there is one, there willbe another near. The silent ones hunt in couples. "

"Would they attack men?"

"Ask the 'little' people. "

"But they are no bigger than monkeys. "

"There is the monkey bigger than man, and he, too, must give way tothe silent hunter. "

"What! Is the gorilla afraid of the python?"

"Between the ape and the serpent there is always war. See where youplace your foot then, for you travel the monkey-path, and we go handand foot like monkeys. Look well where you place your hand, for astraight branch may be the body of the silent hunter. "

Venning went on with renewed caution, studying the branches aboveand below, for, lover as he was of all manner of live things, he hadthe common repugnance to the serpent-kind. But the trees wereinnocent of guile, and presently some other object claimed hisabsorbed attention, no less than an old man gorilla, who thrust hisblack head above a tree-top a little way off, and violently shookthe branches. At the noise every one stopped and peered out. 

"Look!" he shouted. 

"By Jove, a gorilla!" cried Compton, from the rear. 

The great head was thrust forward, with its low black forehead andblacker muzzle; then they saw the whites of the eyelids as thefierce creature swiftly raised and lowered its brows; then the gleamof the great tusks as the mouth opened to emit a tremendous roar. The branches cracked under its grip as it shook them again beforedisappearing. Mr. Hume unslung his rifle and planted himself firmly, for, from the sound, it seemed as if the great ape were comingstraight for them. But the noise of its progress ceased, and, aftera long wait, the march was resumed. They kept a very keen outlook, and at times stopped to listen, but apparently the gorilla hadvanished. Yet many were the startled looks whenever the least soundbroke on their ears, for the face of the great ape, suddenly thrustinto view, was a terrifying object. 

"Halloa!" said Venning, pulling up, "the path seems to end here. See, the branch is broken off; and there is no swing-bridge. Yet thetrack did go straight on, for you can see the old marks acrossthere. "

"Wow!" said Muata, as his dark eyes swiftly took in the details. 

"If I climbed up that branch, I think I could get into the othertree, and you could then use the rope. "

"What is it now?" asked Mr. Hume. 

"They have cut the track, " said the chief; "and it is as I thought, they have gone down from this tree to the ground, maybe to climb upfurther on. "

"Why?"

"Maybe a man has fallen to the ground here--who can say; or thestinging ants have made a home. That tree beyond is taboo to thelittle people, and we also will go down here. "

"What's the good?" said Venning, beginning to climb up. 

"No, no, " said Mr. Hume. "We must leave this to the chief;" and heturned to descend. 

Venning, however, was standing well placed for a swing, and he lethimself go, reaching out with his left hand for another hold, andgaining the other side easily. Compton, of course, followed, and thetwo stood examining the tree for sign of the path. The trackcertainly had gone through that tree, but there were no signs ofrecent passage, and moss had grown over the branches. They calleddown that they were going on, and, passing across several trees, found themselves once more cut off from the next tree, on which thewell-beaten track once again ran on. 

"Here's the place, " they shouted, to guide the others; then lookedabout to see how they were to cross. 

"We'll have to shin down, " said Compton, "for there's no crossinghere. "

Venning sat down astride a branch with his back to the trunk. 

"May as well rest awhile till they come up. "

"That's a queer-looking branch underneath, " said Compton, followingsuit, and dropping a piece of bark on a bough that had attracted hisattention. "It's covered all over with little squares of velvetmoss. See!"

"Suppose we lower our guns by the rope, then we can swarm downeasily, " replied Venning, who had seen too many branches to beinterested; and passing the rope round the two rifles, he loweredthem to the ground, letting the rope follow. 

"I believe it's moving, or else I've got fever or something. "

"What's moving?"

"That;" and Compton pointed down. 

"By Jenkins!" muttered Venning; and the two knitted their brows asthey peered down into the shadows, for the branch certainly wasmoving, and moving away as if it meant to part company with thetrunk. Their glances ran along the branch outwards, and then theireyes suddenly dilated, and their bodies stiffened. 

So they stood like images, their hands clasping a branch, theirheads thrust forward, and their eyes staring. On the same level withtheir heads and about twelve feet off was the head of that moving"branch, " square-nosed, wedge-shaped, with the line of the jawsrunning right round to the broad part under the eyes, and a black-forked tongue flickering through an opening beneath the nostrils, Itwas the fixed stare of the lidless eyes, and the rigid position ofthe grim head poised in mid air on a neck that began like themuscular wrist of an athlete, thickening to where it was anchored ona branch three feet away to the size of an athlete's leg. And whilethe head, with the three feet of neck remained rigid, the body wasgliding out and up, finding an anchorage in the forks of the tree ona level with the head, in readiness for the attack. 

With an effort they drew their eyes away from that cold glance thatheld them almost paralyzed and glanced down. Beyond, the lightbranches shook as the huge coils passed over them. Such coils! Asthey moved into the sunlight they saw the glitter of the scales andthe ridges of the muscles, and the movement was like the movement ofseveral serpents instead of one. 

Venning looked again at the motionless head. "When it has gatheredits length behind and above its head, " he said slowly, "it willstrike. "

"And you dropped the guns!"

"No one can stare a snake out--no one, " said Venning; and his eyeswere fixed. 

"How far can it strike?"

"It has no lids to its eyes. It just looks and looks. Compton!"

Compton took Venning by the arm and shook him. "Come on, " he cried. "What are we standing here for?"

But as he spoke his eyes went up involuntarily, and his pupilsexpanded. 

"It's coming closer, " he whispered. 

"And its eyes are brighter. " Venning shut his eyes, and gripped hiscompanion. 

They swayed, and just managed to save themselves from a headlongfall by grasping a branch. The shock restored them, and the nextminute they had swung themselves up on to the branch, and from thatto the next. It was done in an instant, but when they cast abreathless look down, they saw the unwinking eyes looking up atthem from the very spot they had just left. The snake had a doublecoil round the branch that had supported them, while the huge bodybridged the distance to the branches from which the blow had beendelivered just a moment too late. As they looked, the hinder partof the body fell with a thud against the tree-trunk, and began toripple up. 

"Back, " said Compton, "to the next tree. "

They darted to the vine-bridge, swung over, then stopped to see ifthe snake would follow. 

"The monkey-rope would never bear its weight, " said Venning. 

"Can you hear it? By Jove, I feel all of a jump. I felt as if I hadto stand there and watch it come right up. "

"Ugh!" said Compton. "It was awful. Get ready to run. I see it--overthere--just opposite; it's going up--no, down. I say, it will chaseus from underneath. Come on!"

Venning went a little lower, the better to see the ground. 

"Hi! underneath, Mr. Hume! Muata! Hi! Coo-ee!"

"Halloa! What is it?"

"A snake! He's going down the next tree to this. Look out!"

"All right; but you will find it safer down here. "

They were of that same opinion, and were down with a run, that tooksome of the bark off their shins, as well as off the trees. 

"And where are your guns?"

"Dropped them, " said Compton. 

"I see. Dropped them first, and discovered your danger after. "

"Rub it in, sir. We ought to have followed you; and we have had afine fright. It's big enough to scare any one. "

All the time, they had their eyes turned up on the watch for theslightest movement, but the tree was as quiet as if it had notharboured anything more dangerous than a caterpillar. 

"Where's Muata and the other boy, sir?"

"Gone after a red bush-pig. I think I hear them breaking back. "

They heard the hunting cry of the jackal, then a sound of crashing, and an animal, brick-red--a strange hue for the sombre shadows ofthe forest--darted into view, and seeing them, halted with snoutlowered, and the bristling neck curving up grandly to the highshoulders. A moment it stood there facing them, defiant, its littleeyes gleaming, its tusks showing white, and the foam dripping fromits jaws. A moment, and then it sank to the ground, and was hiddenunder a writhing mound of coils. Swift as an arrow the python hadswooped at the prey, fastened on the neck with its jaws, and thenoverwhelmed it by the avalanche of its enormous length. Therefollowed a sickening crunch of bones, and next a wild cry from thejackal, repeated by Muata and the river-man. 

Mr. Hume advanced with his Express ready, but Muata, running round, begged him not to fire. 

"It is the father of the wood-spirits. He took the red pig insteadof one of us. "

"Not for the want of trying, " said Venning. "He nearly had us both, Muata. "

"But he took the pig, " said Muata. "It is his hunt, and it meanswell for us that he took the pig. "

"It certainly does; but how are we to get our guns, if we don'tshoot him?"

Muata placed his weapon on the ground and advanced. The python hadcompleted its work so far. Two vast coils were round the crushedbody of the boar; the head rested on the upmost coil, with the eyesfixed on the intruders, and the rest of the body reached away intothe shadows. 

Muata advanced with the palms of his hands open, and his eyesdowncast, as if he were in the presence of some great chief. Yet heshowed no fear, never faltered, but walked up to the guns, pickedthem up within a foot of the spot where the length of the serpenthad formed a loop, and returned. The lidless eyes watched, but not acoil moved. 

"It is well, " said Muata, gravely, as he returned the rifles. "Hemeans well by us. "

"You would not have said that if you had been up the tree with us, and with him, " grumbled Compton. 

"The tree is taboo. I said it. "

"Do you mean that he lives here? I should think he would starve. "

"That would be your word, young great one. But, see, look at myfather there. He is big, very big, very heavy, very old. He does notcare to move far. Yet he is wise. So he has chosen his hunt; and hehas chosen well. "

"I cannot see it. The little people give him a wide berth, and a pigmight come along once a year. "

"Such is your wisdom, little great one. But, see, in the trees abovethere is a roadway, and on the ground below there are other pathsfor the things of the forest who neither fly nor climb. These treeslie in the way of such a road. On the ground, if you had looked youwould have seen the spoor of the red pig and other things of theforest. "

"By Jove, yes!" and the boys stared at the unfamiliar spoor ofanimals. "But why do they use this particular part of the forest?"

"That we shall see, for our way lies now along this ground-path. Thelittle people have done their tracking. The man-eaters are near. "

CHAPTER XV

FIGHT WITH A GORILLA

"The man-eaters, " said Venning, blankly. "I had forgotten aboutthem. "

"And there is another thing you have forgotten, " said Mr. Hume, sternly, "you and Compton. You have forgotten to obey orders. Myorders were to descend from the tree. You both kept on, and by sodoing ran a very great risk. Understand now, that you will doexactly what I wish. "

Compton looked rebellious, and opened his lips. 

"Not a word!" said the hunter, in a roar, with a hard look in hiseyes, that gave a fierce expression to his face. 

The two boys stared at him dumfounded. 

"You understand?" he said. 

"I do, sir, " replied Compton, gravely; for, high-spirited as he was, he was in the wrong, and had the courage to admit it. 

That night they saw the fires of the man-eaters, who had encamped ona knoll comparatively free from trees and entirely bare ofunderwood. Beyond the knoll was the gleam of water, and at the sametime they heard the familiar trumpeting of the mosquito hosts, whoseattentions they had been free from ever since they left the river. They anointed their faces and hands with an ointment that containedeucalyptus oil, while Muata and the river-man went off to scout. Then they stood in the shadow of a great tree and watched the weirdscene in the thick of the forest. There were several fires, andabout each squatted a ring of wild black men. Their skins glistenedlike ebony from the fat they had liberally rubbed in, and theirteeth and eyes gleamed in the reflection of the fires. Their hair, fizzled out in mops, had the appearance of fantastic Scotch bonnets;but apparently all their vanity had been lavished on their heads, for of dress they wore nothing but anklets and a strip of hide roundthe waist. They talked unceasingly, cracking their fingers andmaking play with their hands, while all the time one or another ofthe different groups was on his feet, stamping the ground, swinginga club, and shouting at the top of his voice. 

"Ah men, " said Mr. Hume. "Not a woman or a boy among them. "

"What have they done with their prisoners, if these are the same weare after?"

What, indeed! Their eyes searched the shadows at the foot of theknoll for trace of the unfortunate people who had been captured, butthey could neither see nor hear anything. 

"Ugh, the brutes!" muttered Venning, with a shudder, as he broughthis rifle to the "ready. "

Mr. Hume pressed the barrel down. "We'll have no night attack, " hewhispered. "At the first note of danger they'd scatter like shadows, when they would have the eyes and the ears of us. Well hear whatMuata has to say, and then wait for the morning. "

"There are thirty-six of them, " muttered Compton. A bull crocodileroared from the water near at hand, and one of the black menimitated the cry, drawing a yell of wild laughter from his comrades. It was the wildest of scenes. The little circle of red fire threwinto light against an impenetrable wall of black the trunks of a fewtrees, the trailing vines, and the forms of the savage men. That wasthe one bit of the world visible, a space on which appeared some ofthe lowest forms of the human race; but, though they could see notan inch beyond the furthest reflection of the fires, they knew howwell the setting fitted the picture. It seemed only natural that inthat gloomy wilderness of wood these savage types should prevail, for if man had to live there, he could only hold his own by acunning and ferocity greater than the beasts possessed. Every itemof the scene stamped itself on the minds of the boys as they stoodfor a long time watching the antics of the savages. 

It was a relief when Muata made his presence known by a cricket-likechirrup. 

"Are these the men we are after, chief?" asked Mr. Hume, when thetwo scouts silently crept up. "They are the same, but the trail isdifferent. " "Then they are already on another hunt, and have leftthe women and children they captured elsewhere? Is that so?"

"As you have seen, they are warriors only. Such of the women andchildren who yet live are hidden. These await the coming of theother wolves. "

"Oh oh! Then there is to be a great war-party?" "A great killing! Iwent near, round by the riverside, where also there is a fire as asignal. I heard their talk. Others will join them in the night orthe morning, and together they will go in the war-canoes. "

"And who are they that are expected?"

"I said we had not done with the thief-of-the-wood and the river, the man-robber, the slayer of babes. "

"Hassan! Do you mean that the Arabs are coming?"

"Even so, O great one. They are well matched, the man-eaters and theman-stealers. "

"And whom do they go against?"

"What should bring Hassan here but one thing, and that the fear ofMuata?"

"Humph!" muttered Mr. Hume. 

"They go against my people, so that when Muata returns there willnot be one left--man, woman, child, or dog--to greet him, not onehut left to shelter him, not a single manioc-root for him to eat. Hassan will let in the waters upon the Garden of Rest. "

"Eh?"

"That is his word. He has sworn it in his beard, and these jackalshowl it out. They talk of new fish that are to come to their nets. "

"New fish?"

"Oh aye. When the water is let in, they will stand on the slopingbanks of the Garden of Rest and net the drowned. "

"These are strange words, Muata. What are you talking about?"

"I talk of the plan that is made by Hassan to destroy utterly mypeople in the Garden of Rest, " said the chief, gloomily--"the secrethiding whence I went forth against the man-stealers. Hassan comeshither in the morning, and with these eaters of men, these jackalsof the wood, he will go on his way. "

"I see, " said Mr. Hume, slowly. "They are not on our trail. "

"Let us go for them now, " said Compton, who had been eagerlylistening. 

Muata paid no heed to the words. 

"There must be a new plan, chief, " said Mr. Hume. 

"And what says the great one?"

"There is only one good plan, Muata, but you have yourself opposedit. "

"What is the plan, my father?"

"We should get to the Garden of Rest in advance of the enemy, and beready to beat them off. That would be the best way, but you havesaid you would not lead us to your secret hiding. "

"It is the plan, " said Muata. 

"What!" cried Compton, "would you run away from these swabs withoutfiring a shot? What do you say, Venning?"

"I am willing to listen to all sides, " said Venning, judiciously. 

"We must not fire a shot, "' said the hunter, with decision; "we mustwithdraw without Hassan knowing of our presence. If they learnt wewere hereabouts, they would be on their guard, and, having the'legs' of us by reason of their canoes, and the advantage by reasonof their numbers, they would push on, and arrive at the hiding-placebefore us. If they do not suspect our presence, they will takematters easy, and give us time. "

"But what of Muata's mother?"

"That is the chief's matter, " said Muata. 

"And what of the Okapi?" asked Venning. "This is my word. You willgo back in the morning, " said the chief, "marching quickly; and whenyou have found the shining canoe, you will move fast up the river tothe place where the first little river from the forest joins it onthe right bank. There you will find me. "

"And if we don't find you?"

"Haw! What Muata says, that he will do. "

"And how are we to find our way back through the woods?"

Muata drummed his fingers against the stretched skin of his cheek, making a hollow noise. 

"Behold, " he said, "there is your guide. "

They looked around in the dark, but could see no one. 

"Do not look hard, for he is afraid of the white man's eyes. "

"If we knew what we were expected to look at, " said Compton, "we'dknow where we were; but--oh----"

He broke off, and stared at a little figure that barely reached upto Muata's waist. 

"A pigmy, by Jenkins!"

"By Jove! yes. "

Mr. Hume unhooked a steel chain from his belt, with a knifeattached, and offered it to the little man, who, at a word fromMuata, grabbed at it, and, after a minute inspection, hung it roundhis neck. Muata said a few more words to the new guide, then, lifting his hand, gave the farewell salutation to his friends, anddisappeared with the silent river-man. The little man, taking oneend of the rope, led them away from the camp of the cannibals, andafter a brief rest, without the comfort of a fire, they were earlyon the march; but it was not until the sun was well out that theysaw what manner of man their new guide was. A strange monkey-figure--very black, with wrinkled skin about the elbows, thin arms, knobbyknees, a bulging stomach, and round bright eyes! He carried a littlebow, a sheaf of tiny arrows, and wore the glittering chain and kniferound his neck. He took the "upper road, " and was very like a monkeyin the ease and agility with which he manoeuvred the branches. Presently he was joined by two companions, who appeared apparentlyfrom the tree-tops--one was black, the other lighter in colour, andof vast pigmy stature, reaching a height of quite 4 ft. 6 in. It wasfound advisable to give these two some badge of office, for whenthey had become accustomed to the white men, they stopped the marchfor a violent discussion about the glittering jewel worn with suchoutrageous pride by the first man. The present of a red silkhandkerchief to one, and of a tin box that had held meat tabloids tothe other, restored peace. The handkerchief was converted into aturban, the box into a decoration for the breast, and then, chattinglike a treeful of monkeys, the three guides went on at a quick pace. There was no midday rest, no halt for coffee-making; they hadevidently been told by Muata to hurry, and whenever their white menshowed a tendency to slacken, they frowned, cracked their fingers, and capered about. Towards night, however, they descended from theupper road. 

"Thank goodness, they'll have to stop when it grows dark, " sighedVenning. 

The little men gave a long rolling call by moving the hand beforethe mouth; then two of them slipped away, and presently an answeringcall came out of the wood. A little later the travellers stood onthe edge of a small clearing, surrounded by little round huts madeof leaves, and in the centre stood the gigantic warrior with the tinbox, and his proud companion with the flame-coloured head. They weregrinning from ear to ear as they beckoned their "white men" toadvance within the circle of that forest city! Stepping over one ofthe leafy buildings, and just avoiding knocking down the pillars ofan edifice that was probably the town hall, they entered theopening, piled their outfit, and started a fire to prepare theevening meal. The town had appeared deserted, except for the threelittle guides; but as the giants sipped from their pannikins littleforms flitted nearer, and quaint little faces peered at them fromevery point. 

"Take no notice of them, " whispered Mr. Hume, as he handed apannikin to the first guide. 

As that sooty imp sipped, with a loud indrawing of his breath indread of scalding, and a loud outward blowing in token ofsatisfaction at the comforting taste, the other two guides took theproffered pannikins from the boys, and the entire population creptcloser and closer, with many a timid jump. When, however, thesestrange visitors from the strange outer world, where there was noroof of trees to keep off the shooting stars and other dangers--whenthese queer people began to massage each other in turn, to rub andto thump, to slap and knead the limbs and muscles, then, in theirintense curiosity, even the children forgot their timidity andcrowded round. A pickaninny--the queerest little mite--even venturedto poke a tiny finger into the ribs of one of the three. After thatthere was a great pow-wow. Mr. Hume, with a man in the palm of eachhand, a boy on each shoulder, and a couple hanging from each brawnyarm, sent the spectators into shrieks of amusement, and they thereand then christened him "The Gorilla, " in token of esteem--a pieceof flattery which was to have a startling sequel. As night fell thelittle people lamented the disappearance of the sun with a long, melancholy, dirge-like wail; but when darkness was upon them theybuilt up the fire and prepared their evening meal from the body of ared pig they had killed. When the three travellers wrappedthemselves up in their blankets, their hosts were still busilyengaged in eating and talking, and long into the night, wheneverthey glanced up through half-closed lids, there were the littleforms still about the fires. But in the morning, behold, they werealone with the three guides! The huts remained, and the town house, with its posts, at least six feet high; but the little doors wereopen, and the huts were empty. 

"They've gone, " said Venning, much disappointed. "And they havestolen nothing, " said Mr. Hume, after a careful inspection of thekit. 

The guides pointed to the trees, and once more they were travelingthe upper road through the moist leaves, glistening under the sunfrom the myriad drops of condensed mist. It was more than they coulddo to keep pace with the agile leaders, and time and again thelittle men had to wait for the big-limbed, awkward-footed strangersto come up. As on the previous day, they stuck to the work, grudging even a few minutes' rest in the heat of the burning noon, and they only relaxed their efforts to introduce a peculiar sportingevent, which nearly put an end to the party. The quick eye of thelight-coloured guide saw some object in the tree-tops, and mimingout lightly to the end of the branch, he gave a peculiar bark. Inresponse there came the familiar barking roar of a gorilla, followedby the appearance of the black face at a little distance. Immediately the three little men grossly insulted the great monarchof the woods, whose undisputed sway no denizen of the forest caredto dispute, who had been known to break the back of a leopard, andto outstare some chance lion prowling on the outskirts. They made"monkey faces" at him, and no monkey can stand that. They raisedtheir eyebrows, grinned, shot out their jaws, made little gruntingnoises; and when the great ape imitated them unconsciously in hisrage, they broke into unseemly laughter. The gorilla took up thegage of battle and advanced, snapping the branches as a sign of whathe would do when he laid a hand or a foot on his enemies. The littlemen doubled back and put themselves under the sheltering bulk of thehunter's powerful frame, while the two boys sat astride of a bigbranch, the better to handle their carbines. The gorilla, however, did not push his attack home. They heard his surly grunt as hestopped to take stock of them, and as he did not venture closer, they had to resume the march, not, however, without a very distinctfeeling of uneasiness. For when they had got into the swing oncemore, the gorilla dogged them. Like a hungry shark about an openboat at sea he came and went, now following steadily behind, nowranging up on the starboard quarter, now forging ahead, again comingup mysteriously from the depths below, and now breaking cover on theport side, but never giving a chance for a shot, and alwaysreappearing at a new point after a long interval of silence. 

"I don't like the game of hide-and-seek, " said Mr. Hume, stopping. 

"It's the fault of those little beggars, " said Compton. "They appearto enjoy the joke. "

The guides pointed to the ground and started to descend, pausing, however, to see if they were followed. 

"I suppose we may as well go down?"

The little men laughed when they saw the others descending, and, sliding to the ground down slender vine-ropes, they immediately setto work insulting the gorilla again by a series of rapidly emittedcries. This brought the brute up with a charge, just as the threewhite men had their attention occupied, and their hands engaged, bythe descent. From the branches above there dropped a huge blackhairy object, with apparently four pairs of hands. 

"By the Lord, " cried Mr. Hume, who was the first to see the enemy, "drop!"

He shinned down on top of Compton, who in turn descended on Venning, and the whole three of them reached the ground together in a jumble. The gorilla lighted on all fours a few feet away, then, instead ofspringing on his helpless victims, he slowly raised himself to anerect position, and so standing on short bow-legs, emitted atremendous roar, beginning with low mutterings, increasing to thedeep-throated bark, and then dying away in hoarse grumblings. Aterrible object he was truly, with his fierce grey eyes, formidabledog-teeth projecting from his powerful jaws, which rested withoutthe interval of anything like a neck on the curve of a chest thatswept out vast on the well-founded ribs, wrought in strength tosupport the weight of the protruding stomach. 

One arm was raised with the palm of the hand on the chest, the otherhung down, a truly fearful weapon, reaching to the crooked knee, andending in great flattened fingers, that were bent inwards. After theroar the fierce creature lowered itself on to the knuckles of itsarms, and seemed as if in another instant it would spring on itsfoes, still scrambling for a footing, when a piece of mould struckit on the cheek. It made a side-spring at the sooty guide, whonimbly jumped out of reach, and, when it turned, Mr. Hume was on hisfeet swinging his rifle-strap over his head. Quick as a trainedboxer the long black arm shot out and sent the rifle flying throughthe air, but as its fierce eyes followed the whirling flight of theweapon, the hunter, putting forth all his great strength, smote theanimal full on the ear, a blow that would have felled the strongestman. Then he leapt back, just in time to escape a terrific sweep ofa hooked hand that would have disembowelled him, as the monster, after a shake of the head, delivered its favourite blow at theabdomen of its adversary. Going down on its knuckles again, it leapthigh into the air, and as it descended thrust a long black arm rounda tree to seize Mr. Hume, who all the time was calling out for aweapon. The flat fingers hooked under the leather belt, and with afierce grunt the gorilla put forth its strength to draw the whiteman closer, while the latter, with his feet braced against the tree, resisted. Then Compton and Venning, who had unslung their rifles, but who had been confused by the rapid movements of the great ape, found their opportunity and fired. Both bullets took effect, and thegorilla, loosening his hold, turned with a roar upon his new foes. His aspect as he faced them was truly ferocious, and his strengthwas apparently unimpaired, for the thin pencil-like bullets hadmerely bored two little holes through a fleshy part. A moment histerrible eyes glared at them, and then with a mighty bound he leapttowards them. They fired hastily, and then in stepping back the onestumbled against the other, so that they both fell. They were at thegorilla's mercy! One step forward and he would have struck the lifeout of them with a couple of blows, but fortunately habit was toostrong for him, and he raised himself erect to give out his defiantchallenge. A little man tugged at Mr. Hume, who stood transfixedwith horror. Looking down, the hunter saw the haft of his Ghoorkaknife. He acted at once. Seizing it, he ran forward, and raisinghimself up, brought the heavy blade down on the monster's skull justas the last guttural bark was emitted. The boys, with their handslifted in a despairing effort to ward off the danger, saw the gleamof metal, heard the rushing swish and the dull sound as the keenblade bit through skin and bone; and then they saw the monstrousblack form suddenly sink to the ground. The next second they weresnatched up and tossed aside out of reach, and as they regainedtheir feet they heard the report of a rifle as Mr. Hume fired into'' the hairy body. With its last effort the dying ape seized thehunter by the leg and hurled him to the ground, his fall beingluckily broken by a decaying branch, which was crushed under hisweight. Bruised and shaken, the three travellers stood by thecarcase, over which the little men were singing a song of triumph, as if they had been the chief actors instead of intensely interestedspectators. One of them was tugging at the knife to free it from theskull, and as he could not move it, the second, and then the third, had a try, all laughing with much merriment. 

"It's fun for them, " said Venning, rubbing a bruised arm. 

"I believe, " said Mr. Hume, sourly, "they contrived the whole thingas a gladiatorial spectacle for their amusement. I don't think I wasever so near death;" and he shook hands gravely. "If you had notfired when you did, he would have had me. "

"And what about us?" said Compton. "I never saw anything so awful, and never felt so helpless, as when it stood over us. "

"A good job for us he did stand, " said Venning, taking out his tape. "I should like to have his measurements. Just straighten him out. "He passed the tape over. "Length, 6 ft. 2 in. ; round the chest, 55in. ; round the abdomen, 60 in. ; length of arm, 44 in. ; biceps, 14in. --not so very huge; forearm, 15 in. ; calf, 13 in. His power is inthe muscles of the shoulders, chest, and back. "

"And jaw, " said Compton. "Look at the sweep of the jaw-bone. Hewould crack a man's thigh with ease. "

"And just think, " said Venning, "that he has practically four hands, that he can spring like a lion, climb like a leopard, walk like aman, swing like a monkey, bite like a hyaena, and strike like abattering-ram. I guess I've had enough of gorillas. "

When Mr. Hume signalled to the guides to continue, they expressed bysigns their astonishment that the white men did not sit down to makea meal off the gorilla; and when they really did gather that thefeast was to be abandoned, one remained behind, and anotherdisappeared into the trees, while the third resumed the journey withbackward looks of regret. About an hour later they met the entirepigmy tribe on the way to the feast, and as they swarmed over thetree in passing, the little people greeted Mr. Hume with much honouras the "father of all the gorillas. "

The next day the travellers reached the opening whence they hadstarted on the trail of the cannibals a few days before. Theyparted with the sooty guide, giving him a handful of sugar, a stickof tobacco, a small tin of salt, and a cartridge-case. The latterhe placed proudly in a hole in the lobe of his ear; the other thingshe stowed away in his little sack, made from the skin of a smallmonkey. 

When he had gone, the three plunged into the wood to follow theriver down to the spot where the Okapi had been docked. Afterleaving many shreds and patches of clothing on the thorns, Mr. Humeand Venning discovered the spot by the "blaze" on the treesadjoining made by the axe. If it had not been for those signs, theywould not have recognized the place, for they had expected to find aclearing, and, instead, there was already a thicket of young shoots, which had sprouted from the buried saplings. Cutting away thisgrowth, they soon removed the soft mould and the covering ofbranches. Then they cut a way down to the river, and ran the Okapiout into the water. The chains were greased, the deck riveted inposition, the mast fixed, and the boat washed down. That done, Venning put into effect a scheme he had been turning over in hismind for a regular hot-air bath that would steam all the ague, rheumatism, and fever out of them. 

"What we must do, " Mr. Hume was always insisting, "is to keep thecirculation active. "

"We're going to have a Turkish bath, " said Venning, firmly--"a realone--one that will clear all the germs put at a run, and remove thiscontinual singing in the ears. "

"Does your head sing?" asked Compton, pressing his forehead. "Mybrain seems to be on the shake as if it were jelly. "

"That's the feeling, " said Venning; "and I've got a notion. See thewell? Good; that's to be our hot-air bath. We'll rig the oil-sheetsover it by means of a couple of bent saplings. We'll put the lampinside, bank loam around it, moisten the loam with water, leave ituntil it steams, then pack one of us in. I'll be the first, to showthat it is safe. "

"Good, " said the hunter, gravely. "And when you have been steamed, we'll knead you, wash you down with warm water, and shave yourhead. "

They did it. Venning went under the sheet; he went in nearly black, and very heavy in the head. He came out brown and white, with afeeling of lightness; and when he had been shaved, shampooed, thumped, whacked, and kneaded, he felt "pounds better. " Compton andMr. Hume each underwent the hot-air cure, with the same goodresults; and then, clothed in clean underwear, and protected by adose of quinine, they manned the levers, and went skimming along theriver, glad to be back in their good boat. 

"We must call for the old Arab, " said Compton, "now that we arebound for the Place of Rest. "

"He'll be in the way, " growled Venning; "and we have no time tolose. "

"We will call for him, " said Mr. Hume. "If we miss Muata, the oldchap could act as guide. "

So they put in where the tall palm grew, and while Venning guardedthe boat, the other two went up the path to find the village. Theyfound it in ruins, and on a post was the head of the old Arab with alot of Arab writing. 

Compton read it out. "Hassan has been. Those who are silent whenthey could talk remain silent for ever. "

"So, " muttered Mr. Hume, staring around under frowning brows, "Hassan has been. "

"Poor old harmless chap, " said Compton; "and he knew my father. Ishould like, " he added sternly, "to meet that Hassan, Mr. Hume. " "Soshould I, my boy. "

"He certainly tried to get some news of us from the old Arab, andfailing, lolled him. "

"Ay, ay. That's the whole story, lad. " They took the head of the oldman, who, they believed, had been faithful to them at the cost ofhis life, and gave it reverent burial. Then they returned to theboat, and pushed off. 

"Not there?" asked Venning. 

"Ay, he was there, but Hassan has been before us, and the old manwas dead. "

"He must hate us very much to pursue us so relentlessly, " saidVenning, when he had heard the story. 

"He is not bothering about us, " said Mr. Hume. "I take it that hehas heard of Muata's hiding-place, this Garden of Rest, and wants itfor his own use. Now, lads, is this to be our quarrel? There is nocall upon us to interfere, and we should escape a lot of trouble ifwe did not interfere. I put the matter to you. Shall we 'bout ship, and go down past the Stanley Falls towards the Zambesi and thesouth, where there is good hunting. "

"We'll keep on, sir, if you don't mind. "

"Oh, it's all the same to me, " said the hunter. 

"Don't tell me, " said Compton. "You are not indifferent about it, for you said you would like to meet Hassan. "

"So I would, lad. I would rather shoot a man like that than a lion. The animal kills for food, the man slays for the savage lust ofpower. "

"Then we keep on, " said Compton, "and no more speeches from thecaptain to the crew on the score of turning back. "

"There's one thing, " said Mr. Hume; "this Garden of Rest, if we findit, may turn out to be a complete naturalist's preserve. "

"Hurrah!" cried Venning. "Give me the beetles, and you can have thegorillas. Let's hope we shall have a real rest in this wonderfulplace. "

"Won't be much rest while Hassan is around, " said Compton; "butwe'll have the pull of him if we can get there first. "

"Without his knowledge, " added the hunter. "The advantage of asurprise is everything in native warfare, as you have gathered inlistening to Muata's yams. "

"We'll have to lie up to-night, I suppose, or else we shall overrunthe spot where we are to meet Muata. "

"It cannot be very far. I take it we are now travelling on the shortleg of a triangle, the long leg being the track we made through theforest, and the other leg the tributary stream down which Hassanwent to pick up his cannibal allies. "

"All we want, then, " said Compton, "is a few hours' start, for wecan show a clean pair of heels to any canoe afloat. "

"That is right enough; but you have to reckon with a cunning foe, and it is more than probable that Hassan has left some of his menahead to keep watch. We'll hug the shore, and keep on as long aspossible. "

The levers clanked merrily, the little screw lashed up the darkwaters. One reach of the river was very much like another, but thesilence and the absence of life which at first had depressed themnow gave them comfort, for in this gloomy waterway a strange humanbeing meant a possible enemy. 

CHAPTER XVI

ACROSS THE LAGOON

As the night came stealthily creeping over wood and water, sendinghosts of birds with loud scoldings to their chosen roosting-places--for out of those myriads of trees only certain trees were selected--the boat was put in near the right bank. The levers were muffled, and the "lookout, " with a bill-hook ready to fend off any snag, anda bull's-eye lantern to shoot a sudden light, took up his positionin the bows. She crept on slowly through the pitch darkness, thecrew easing off at times to listen as some loud noise broke thesilence--the plunge of a hippo, the snort of an angry bull, theswirl of a fish, or the cry of an otter from the bank. In one ofthese silences a whisper came from the bows. 

"Look, " said Venning; and he flashed the bull's-eye on the bank. 

The others, glancing along the streamer of light, saw reflected twobright eyes, a gleaming muzzle, and the tips of curved horns. 

"A buffalo, " whispered Mr. Hume. 

As the boat drifted slowly past, they watched the bright eyes, andthe eyes of the animal followed them. Out of the intense blacknessonly those points were visible--the luminous eyes, the shiningmuzzle, and the tips of the horns. The rest was left to theimagination; yet the picture seemed to stand out of a shaggy forestbull, his fore feet on the brink of the water, and his head thrownup. 

"What a picture for a flash-light photo!" muttered Venning, longingly. 

"What a mark for a shot!" sighed Mr. Hume. "And red meat would bevery welcome. "'

As they slipped away the buffalo snorted, crashed into the forest, and battered his way on a course parallel to them to get anotherview of that mysterious light, for presently they heard his snortagain. A little further on a bull hippo charged at them, but theglare of the light full in his eyes stopped him, and he remainedopen-mouthed, so that all they saw was a yawning gulf bristling withivory. Mr. Hume, who had picked up his Express at the first snort, laid it down again with a laugh. 

"Took the fight out of him that time, Venning; but it's a littlerisky. "

"Keeps one wide awake, at any rate, " said Compton. 

"We'll continue for an hour or so and then tie up, for we may have aheavy day to-morrow. "

For a couple of miles the boat felt its way through the dark withoutincident, and then the look-out signalled another discovery. 

"Light ahead!"

The Okapi was brought broadside on, so that the crew could have aclear view of the river; and they sat for some time in silence, looking at the strange object--a tiny but steady glow of fire. 

"Shut off the bull's-eye, Venning. We'll make for mid-stream, andapproach the fire with caution. "

The boat moved out into the current, then worked up very tenderlywhile Venning steered, with his eyes fixed on that little speck ofred. Slowly they advanced, cautiously were the levers pulled overand shot back, so that there should be no noise, and silently thesmooth craft cut into the darkness. But light travels far, and theyseemed to get no nearer. 

"I believe it's a light in a boat, " muttered the lookout. 

The others slowed up, and they listened, but they heard no sound ofpaddles, only innumerable stealthy whisperings from the woods. 

"It is stationary, " said Mr. Hume, "and ashore, as you may see fromits fixity. Beep her away. We can't be too careful. "

They made a long reach down, going very warily, and taking care notto keep their eyes solely upon the fire; for a light is a good lureto draw the careless into an ambush, unless they are on the look-outfor danger in a different quarter. 

"I can't see any one about, " said Venning, who was using the night-glasses. 

In complete silence they came at last opposite the fire, but nosooner had they passed it than it went out. 

"Put her round, " whispered Mr. Hume. 

The boat answered her helm like a well-trained horse, and they wentback on their course to see if they could fetch the light again. 

"Yes, there it is. "

"Then it's a signal, " muttered Mr. Hume; "only to be seen by someone coming up-stream. "

"Suppose it is meant for us?"

Mr. Hume went forward with his Express, and relieved Venning at thehelm. 

"We'll creep nearer in this time, but be ready to make a dash if itproves to be one of Hassan's watch-parties. "

This time the Okapi hugged the shore, and stopped when it cameopposite the light. 

Out of the darkness came a low laugh. "I have been awaiting you, Ogreat one; but you came so softly that I should not have knownexcept for these wise ones here. "

"Welcome, Muata!" The boat was run in now without further pause, andMr. Hume leapt ashore with the line. "And who are the wise ones, chief, that could smell us out in the dark?"

"Who but the jackal and the wise woman?"

"You found your mother, then! I'm very glad--very glad. And whatabout Hassan? He has passed this way, and made his sign at thevillage where we left the old Arab. "

"The Arab thief comes up the little river with many canoes and thewhole pack of man-eaters. So we three will get into the shiningcanoe, if the great one wills, and make good the time beforesunrise. "

"The boat is ready. "

Muata called. The fire was put out, and presently two figuresappeared within the range of the bull's-eye lantern--a woman and thejackal. The woman halted to speak a few words to Muata, then she puta hand on the hunter's shoulder and peered into his face. Shelaughed and said something. 

"What says the wise woman, Muata?"

"Lion--not gorilla. Haw! We heard the story from the little men howthe great one cleft the skull of the gorilla; and how they calledyou my father, after the man-monkey. But I told her you were morelion than ape, and she has judged for herself. "

Mr. Hume laughed, and held a hand to help the woman into the boat;but she stepped aboard unassisted, and moved forward, the jackalfollowing very humbly. 

"And the river-man?"

"He struck the trail of three man-eaters, and followed them, seeingred. Maybe he slew them and was slain, for there was much noise, andhe did not return. So we here are all till we reach the hiding-place. "

The boat was pushed off, and Muata took one of the levers. 

"Let the young lions sleep, " he said. "We can have no better watchthan we now have. See! the jackal smelt you while you were stillafar, and the chiefs wife heard the noise of the boat before I did. Wow! We are safe while they watch. "

"Does the chiefs wife smoke?" "Ow ay! tobacco would please herheart. " Mr. Hume passed a pipe and tobacco to the woman, and Comptongave her a lighted match. She took them as if they were ordinaryobjects of her life, lit the pipe, and by the flame of the matchleant forward to peer into the boy's face as she had stared at Mr. Hume. And she spoke a word or two before turning her face to thebows for the long watch. 

"The river runs into the sea; but the river is always full. That isher word, young lion. "

"Which means?"

"I told her you were the white man's son, and she has seen forherself. Maybe her words mean that when the father is gone the sontakes his place. But in time you will know, for her meaning issometimes hard to understand. Now sleep, you two, for there is greatneed for us ahead. "

Without more ado the two "young lions" rolled themselves in theirblankets and enjoyed the rare luxury of an untroubled sleep, andwhen they awoke they were in a vast lagoon, out of which stood thebleached skeletons of dead trees, with gaunt bare branches, in allmanner of fantastic shapes. But it was only the trees that weredead, for the astonished eyes of the boys rested on such amultiplicity of animal life as they had never before seen. Birdsroosted on the aforesaid dead branches--sooty ibis, white pelicans, crows, kingfishers, and here and there, like sentinels on thetopmost branches, a white-headed eagle, with his hooked bill, dominating the scene. Wheeling through the air were strings of duckand wisps of snipe in battalions, rows of cranes with their longlegs trailing, and on the surface of the smooth water, on scores ofsmall islands, formed originally by uprooted trees, and under thewater, there were yet innumerable creatures. It was certainly grandhunting for all. There were flies and gnats for the frogs, tadpolesand the spawn of frogs for the little fishes, little fishes werepreyed on by the ducks and the big fishes, while the birds and thebig fishes in turn provided breakfast, dinner, and supper for thecrocodiles. Apparently the crocodiles were too tough, too musky, andtoo powerful, to serve as food for any other animal higher up in thescale; but it is not to be supposed that they had merely to opentheir jaws to snatch a meal, for there were shallows all about wherethe waders could go to sleep in peace, standing on one leg. Andthere they stood, regiments of them--crested cranes, blue cranes, black ibis, pink ibis, flamingoes, and wild geese. . And the noisewas tremendous!

The Okapi sailed under a gentle breeze right into the thick of thissportsman's paradise, and from the low islands armies of mosquitoesgaily advanced to meet her until they formed a moving cloud aroundher, only kept off from eating up the crew by the mercifulintervention of the canvas awning and mosquito curtains. 

"What a magnificent specimen of the spoonbill bittern, " groanedVenning. "If we had only brought an air-gun--for I suppose we cannotfire. "

"Look at those fat geese in a row, " said Compton. "What a stew theywould make. Just one shot, sir. "

"It won't do, " said Mr. Hume. "A single shot would raise noiseenough to wake the seven sleepers. "

"There is another way, " said Muata. 

"What way?"

"A line such as you used for fish--see. " He shaved off some thinshreds of buffalo biltong, chewed it, and dropped it astern. Aninquisitive teal watched him keenly, and, as the boat went by, madea swoop for the fragment. The incident was noticed, and a biggander, curiously tame, came sailing up, arching its neck inimitation of the swan. The boys were at the lockers in a flash, drewout a couple of lines, bent on a large hook, buoyed it, by theadvice of Mr. Hume, between two floats, baited the hooks, and payedthe line over the stem, while Muata dropped over a few more pellets. There was a flotilla of duck and geese following in the wake of theOkapi, and in less than a minute there were two bites. Compton hadthe black and grey gander, while Venning had a fat duck in tow. TheOkapi was backed full speed astern and the astonished fowl pulled onboard before they knew what had happened. The geese sheered off atonce, speaking to each other in subdued tones, but in the nextquarter of an hour three more ducks were added to the bag. Then apiratical craft appeared in the very thick of the peaceful convoy, opened its broadside, as it were, and engulfed a couple. There was aswirl in the water, a resounding smack made by a long scaley tail, and a third fowl went the way of the others. Beating their wings, the duck rose with loud quacks to seek the safety of a shallow, andthe leery green eyes of the piratical crocodile appeared above thedisturbed water. 

"You old thief!" cried Venning. 

"It is his hunting-ground, " said Muata, with a chuckle, as he passedthe birds to his mother, who began at once to pluck them. 

"Out with the big pot and the preserved vegetables, " said Compton. "We'll have one big feast, even if we go hungry for a week. "

The pot was got out, water from the lagoon was boiled, strained, andboiled again, then, as each bird was cleaned, it was cut up andplaced in the pot, the offal falling to the share of the jackal. Itwas a great meal, of soup, game, cabbage, potatoes, onions, andcarrots, all mixed up, and when it had been eaten down to the lastdrop, with a dose of quinine for safety, and a cup of coffee forcomfort, they were all shiny and happy. The oily fat from the birds, which formed a layer on the top while the mess was boiling, had beencarefully removed, and when it had cooled, Muata and his motherrubbed it over their faces, necks, arms, and hair until theyglistened. 

"Well, I'm sugared!" said Compton. 

"Fat very good for the skin, " said Muata, showing his teeth. "Youtry. "

"Better for the guns, chief. ''

"Wow! and for the big knife;" and the chief polished up his Ghoorkablade, while the boys greased the rifles and stared at the chief'swife, thinking, as they stared, of the adventures which she had beenthrough since she fled from the kraal of her husband, driven out bythe slave-hunters. They had seen old black women at the villages, wrinkled old crones, phenomenally thin; but this woman was not muchwrinkled, and she was not thin. Neither was she ugly as those othershad been, for she carried herself straight, and there was a dignityabout her actions whenever she moved her long bare arms. But theycame to the conclusion that she was not a person to sew on buttons, for there was a hard look about the eyes, and the whole cast of theface was set and stem. It did not seem possible that she couldsmile, and, remembering the careless laughter of native women, whowere amused at anything or nothing, she was a mystery to them. Sothey very soon gave up trying to make anything out of her, andturned their attention to the lagoon, which stretched away a goodten miles on either hand to the dark fringe of forest. Evidently theforest had grown where the shallow waters now were, as the deadtrees testified. 

"The land has sunk about here, " said Venning, "and underneath theremust be a coal-bed in process of formation. Now, if there were hillsaround, and a nice clean sand-beach, I should like to spend monthshere. "

"Too many mosquitoes!"

"Besides, " said Mr. Hume, striking in, "there are hills. "

"Where? Over there? Why, that's a cloud!"

"Perhaps so; but the cloud rests on a hill-top. Isn't that so, Muata?"

"Those be the gates to the Place of Rest. "

"By Jimminy! How far?" This was something to be excited about. 

Muata held up five fingers. "So many suns will rise and set. "

"And does the forest lie in between?"

"Between and beyond. "

"And the Place of Rest, is that forest also?"

"The sun shines there all day, " said the chief; "and a man can seehis shadow lengthen. The little ones play on the white sand, thewomen and the girls work in the gardens on the open slopes of thehills, and the men----"

"Well, what about the men?"

"They lie in the sand like lizards, and talk like parrots. "

It was the chief's wife who spoke scornfully, using the languagethey had mastered. 

"Wow!" chimed in the chief, "they are timid people, the men; but thetime is at hand when those who will not fight will be set to dowomen's work in the gardens. "

The woman nodded her head grimly. "The time is at hand when thereapers will work, not in the cornfields, but about the fires wherethe men sit. Hassan is to be feared; but he can only enter if he ishelped from within. "

"I listen, O wise one, " said the son, sternly. "Even if I weed themall out so that there are none left but Muata and these three whitestrangers, your counsel shall be followed. "

"It is well, " said the mother, nodding her head. 

"You seem to have little faith in your people, " said Compton. 

"Haw! They grow fat and timid. They have no fight in them. Oncebefore, when I was a boy, I beat them; but they have forgotten. "

"I rather think, chief, that they would be as well off under Hassanas under you. "

"Hassan would yoke them in and drive them out through the forestinto the plains. A man must fight for his kraal. That is the law. "

"It is the law, " said the woman. 

"And that is the Place of Rest?" said Venning, lingering on thesight. "More like a place of trouble for some; but, at any rate, ifthere are hills and open places, I shall be glad to get there. Itwould be a real treat to have space enough for a trot. But, I say, it is time you two slept. "

"That is just what I have been thinking, " said Mr. Hume. 

The two boys took the levers, but Muata declined to rest. He saidthere were two openings leading from the lagoon to the hills--one abroad channel, commonly used, the other a smaller channel. 

"We will take the little river, " he said, "so that Hassan, who willfollow the other track, will not know of our going. But it is hardto find this little water-path, and I must search for it. "

"Don't go up a track that will not give water for the boat. Are yousure that it will carry us?"

"Ow ay! there is water enough, great one. So sleep well. "

For a couple of hours the boys worked the levers, and at the endthey came upon a thicket of reeds, along which the Okapi skirted, while the chief and his mother kept a keen outlook. Twice theyplunged into the reeds on a false trail; and then, as they lay offscanning the oily water for trace of a current, the woman held upher hand. 

"It is Hassan, " said the chief. 

Venning reached for his glasses, and far back over the shining lakehe saw little black specks emerging, as it were, out of the forest. 

"Canoes, " he said; "a great many. "

If they did not find the outlet soon they would be sighted. Muataand his mother spoke a few words rapidly, and then he signalled tothe crew to enter the reeds. This done, and the boat screened, heslipped into the water and disappeared shorewards. For some time hewas away, during which the flotilla of canoes came into view like aflock of ducks, still so far off that the boys could not hear thesound of paddles. Presently Muata splashed back, and, towing theboat, made across a barrier of reeds that had been banked up, forming a sort of natural breakwater, and most effectually hidingthe mouth of the stream he sought. Mr. Hume was awakened, and theentire crew, taking to the water, managed to hoist the boat over thebarrier. This done, they climbed on board again, and were soon inthe mouth of a dark river, almost overhung by great trees. 

"That is well done, " said Muata. "Now we can sleep, great one; forthe other river runs far from this, so that Hassan's men will nothear us. "

They were soon asleep. Even the chief's wife stretched herself outwith the jackal at her feet, and the two boys were left in solecharge. They had been toughened by the rough-and-tumble of theirstrange experiences, and inured to the brooding silence and darkavenues of the forest; but they entered into a scene that triedtheir nerves. The trees closed in as they advanced, and very soonthey entered a leafy tunnel, lit up by a faint light that barelyshowed up the slimy banks, covered by a network of snake-like roots. The little waves churned up by the screw splashed softly upon theroots, making the only sound that disturbed the sombre silence ofthe place. So low was the leafy roof at places that branches rustledon the awning. 

"Fix up the big lantern in the bows, old man, " said Compton, who wasfacing up-stream. "There is not light enough to steer by. Better situp there with the bill-hook while I work the levers. "

Venning went forward, and soon a shaft of light pierced the gloom. 

For a mile or more they threaded this tunnel, and not a sign of lifewas there the whole way. When they emerged from the darkness intocomparative space and light, the boys wiped their faces, which wereclammy with moisture. 

"A few more experiences like that, Dick, and we cross the river forgood. "

"Eh?"

"Why, man, it's the Styx. It has given me the shivers. "

"Quinine, " said Compton; and they dosed one another there and then. "I say, I'd give the whole five hundred miles square of this forestfor one little glade in Epping. "

"Bother!"

"Of all the squirmy, snaky, gloomy, airless, sunless, moist, decaying masses of misery, I think this is the worst. "

"It is, Dick; it is. There's not a butterfly even. "

"Thunder! It's raining fire! No; it's an ant S It's raining ants, bygum!"

"You ass, you've hooked the bill into a nest. There--that round, black thing--like a football. They're running up the bill-hook. "

There was a splash as the boat was shoved off, then mutteredexclamations and a yelp from the jackal: Many scores of ants hadinvaded the Okapi, and each ant, full of murderous rage for thewanton attack upon the nest, seized hold of the first soft thing itcame across, and once it gripped it held on like a bull-dog. War waswaged on the invaders, and when the last had been discovered andcrushed, there was no sleep in the savage eyes of the awakened. 

Incidents like these alone varied the monotony of the dreary daysthey spent in that mournful slough, and if it had not been for theregular exercise at the levers, and the hope of a speedy releasefrom their surroundings, the young explorers must have succumbed. Asit was, they lost colour, became pale, languid, and heavy-eyed; andMr. Hume, noting the signs of the dreaded wasting sickness withanxiety, did not spare himself or Muata when it came to their turnto work the levers. 

CHAPTER XVII

THE PLACE OF REST

The chiefs wife urged them on. Neither night nor day did she seem torest, for whenever one of the boys, in a feverish sleep, tossed hisarms about, she was at his side with a drink compounded of herbs, that kept the fever away. She took her spell at the levers, her longround arms moving with unexpected power, and only the hunter himselfcould tire her out. As for him, he was not happy unless he wasworking, and at times he made the screw spin again under his fiercestrokes, whenever his eyes fell on the wan faces of his youngcompanions stewing in the insufferable heat. He shortened thejourney by twenty-four hours, for on the afternoon of the fourth daythe woman, for the first time, showed signs of joy. 

"Lift up your heads, O young lions, " she cried; "let the light comeinto your eyes, and the strength into your limbs, for we are at thegates! You will catch the cool wind in your mouths. Your nostrilswill sniff the air of the hills; your feet will tread the open way;your eyes will see the white clouds afar. Awake, my children, we areat the gates. "

They lifted their heads, throbbing with the touch of fever, andbefore them they saw a sheet of clear water; beyond that aglistening wall of rock, and following up higher and higher, theysaw the deep blue of the sky. 

"We are out at last, " said the hunter, in his deep tones. "Off withthe awning, Muata; let us breathe again. "

The awning was thrown back, and the boys sat up, drawing in the airin great gulps. 

"This is but the beginning, " said the woman. "A little further andyour eyes will rest on the gardens below and the hilltops above. Youwill skip like the he-goat from rock to rock. You will shout andrejoice. I know. I was young, too, and I also came through the darkway. "

"Where now, Muata?" asked the hunter. 

"If the great one cares to leave the canoe, we could reach the topto-night, and sleep far above the woods. None come here. The wateris 'taboo, ' and the boat would be safe. "

"Let us go up, " urged Compton. 

"Yes; up out of this stagnation, " cried Venning, with a longing lookup. 

Mr. Hume ran the boat in, and Muata leapt ashore. As his feet feltthe firm ground he raised one hand high and broke into a chant, thewoman joining in at intervals. As he chanted he stamped his feet onthe sand; and this song was of himself--of his deeds in the past, ofhis triumphs in the future. 

"Wow!" he said, when he had finished. "There were many days thatMuata thought never to look upon these walls again; many times, whenhis heart was dark, when his blood was like water; and lo! he standsagainst the walls of his home. "

"Of his resting-place, " corrected the woman. "His home lies beneaththe setting sun. "

"I know how you feel, Muata. If I were to see again the cliffs ofold England, I would sing too. "

"It must be like finding a new beetle, " said Venning. 

"We are not out of the woods yet, " chimed in Mr. Hume, grimly, "sojust give your attention to our stores. We must carry up as much aswe can, for, 'taboo' or not 'taboo, ' I do not like the idea ofleaving all our things here. "

They made up in parcels as much of the stores as they could carry, and the woman strode off first, erect and graceful, with the largestparcel on her head. Venning followed, carrying only his carbine, blanket, and bandolier; then Muata, with sixty pounds' weight on hishead, then Compton, and, last of all, Mr. Hume, with an ample load. A fairly open path, over a lattice-work of roots, mounted up throughthe trees, and the hunter "blazed" the path by chipping a slice ofbark off every fifth tree. Up and up the woman swung with freestrides, her short leather skirts, trimmed with beads, rattling asshe went; and after many a breather, for the sake of the whites, shestrode out, one thousand feet above the lake, on to a rock-strewnslope, free of trees. A glance back showed the evening mist rollinglike a huge curtain over the sombre forest, so that they seemed tobe looking down upon a silent sea. 

"A little more, my children--a little more, and you will sleep undera roof. "

She swung off, balancing the load easily, and the others followed inand out among great rocks that had an unfamiliar look, bending theirbodies to the steep and labouring for breath; and as they went Mr. Hume drew marks on the ground, as a guide, with the point of hisknife, for he trusted no man in the wilderness, except himself. After another thousand feet of climbing, they entered into a gorge, that narrowed at the summit to a mere cleft, and from that cleftthey stepped out on to a broad platform, which dominated a widevalley rimmed with cliffs. 

"Behold the Place of Rest, O white men; and ye, O great one, whomarked the trees below, and whose glance went ever back to note theway so that you should know it again, know that we have led you tothe hiding, whose secret was our refuge. "

"Ay, mother, " said Mr. Hume, quietly, though surprised she had seenhis actions; "and remember that we are here to help you keep out thewolf from your refuge. I marked the trail, as ye saw, for it is wellthat a man should know his way out as well as in. "

"He is right, O wise one, " said Muata, bearing down his mother'ssuspicious look. "Should Hassan prevail in the fight, there would beno Muata to guide these our friends to safety. "

"He prevail!" cried the woman, sternly; then her finger shot out, and her form seemed to increase in stature. "Look, O warrior offeeble words; see how it greets the chief;" and her eyes blazed asshe followed the flight of a great bird that swept out of the mist. "A sign--a sign, my son. "

"A black eagle, " said Venning. "Maybe it has its nest somewhereabout here. "

"As this is the Place of Rest, " said Mr. Hume, "it would do us allgood to sit down. Where is the hut you spoke of, mother?"

"Shall I carry you, little one?" said the woman, with a loud laugh. "A few steps only. A little way, and you can eat and sleep. "

She passed to the right under shelter of a cliff, and came veryquickly to the door of a wide cave, that ran back some thirty feet. 

"Here is your home, and in the morning the sun will look in at thedoor, and from the threshold, when you awake, you may sit and feaston such a sight as will gladden your eyes, for now the shadows hideit. "

They threw their packages on the floor and sat down on a carpet ofclean white sand. 

"A little further there is water. Muata, my son, for the last timedo woman's work and light the fire, while I go below for food. "

"Say nothing to the people of my coming, " said the chief. "PresentlyI will go down secretly, and see how the men bear themselves. "

"Wow! I see now it is the chief, and not a carrier of wood. "

She went off into the gathering gloom, but was back in the hour witha great bunch of yellow bananas, a calabash of goats'-milk, and ayoung kid, showing no signs of weariness for all her toil. Thosebananas, growing with an upward curve against the stem to relievethe dead weight on the branch as they grew, were just then a finersight than the most magnificent scenery, and the travellers made agreat feast, which done, they stretched themselves out on the cleandry sand up there in the clean, crisp air, and slept till the sunnext morning streamed into the open cave. 

They woke up to find themselves alone, but not forgotten; foroutside there lay a little heap of good things, including fresheggs, a calabash of milk, sweet potatoes, and a bundle of firewood. 

"By Jove!" cried Compton; "look at the view. Isn't it splendid?"

"Well, it won't vanish, " said Mr. Hume, "so we'll have breakfastfirst. "

Further on along the ledge there was a little cascade, falling intoa bath-like opening evidently, from the signs, of humanconstruction, and here, in ice-cold water, they refreshedthemselves. After breakfast they were like new men. The keen air putto flight the beginnings of malaria contracted in the noisomeatmosphere of the dark water-course they had last travelled, andbrought the sparkle into their eyes, and a smile to the lips. 

"Now for the view--for a good long look at the Garden of Rest. "

"Not yet. We'll first overhaul our rifles and stock of ammunition. This is no picnic, you know. We may be fighting for our lives to-morrow; so to work!"

Orders had to be obeyed, and the ammunition was sorted out--providing 150 rounds for the Express, 250 rounds each for the threecarbines, and 175 rounds for the shot-gun. 

"That is a short supply, boys. We must be careful not to throw awaya single shot; for, remember, we've got to go a long way before wereach safety, even after this business of Hassan's is done. We musttry and do with fifty rounds apiece in this little affair. "

"Little affair!" muttered Venning, remembering the flotilla ofcanoes and the mob of fierce-looking cannibals. 

"Big or little, we can't afford to indulge in reckless firing. Onebullet, one man, is my motto. "

"But we cannot all shoot like you, " grumbled Venning. 

"A matter of habit, " said the hunter, quietly. "All you have to dois to get the advantage of position, and then it is no merit toshoot straight. Drop three men out of a hundred, and you will stopthe remainder; drop thirty out of a thousand, and the same thinghappens. If there are only a hundred, and you have the upper ground, let them come within two hundred yards; if the enemy is in greatnumbers, open at five hundred yards; and anywhere down to fiftyyards according to his dwindling strength. Shoot straight everytime, and the plan answers like clockwork. "

"Have you tried it?"

"Many times, but only in self-defence. Now we'll just examine ourposition, for it is always good to have open a line of retreat. "

They walked along the ledge to the mouth of the gorge up which theyhad ascended, saw that the ledge ended there, then retraced theirsteps past the cave and the bath to a spot where a break in theledge opened up a way down into the valley. 

"Just take note of that path, " said the hunter, "and follow itdown. "

"What a beautiful spot!" said Compton. 

"It does the eyes good to look on it, " said Venning, enthusiastically. "See how the sun shines on the broad leaves--banana-leaves, I think--bordering the silver stream. "

"Never mind the silver stream, " broke in Mr. Hume, testily. "Fixyour attention on this path. Get it into your mind. See how it dropsdown to that solitary palm. "

"Now remember that if you are down there, and have to run, you areto make for that palm, ascend here, and cut along to the gorge. Haveyou got that fixed? Good. Now we will go back. "

At last, with their feet dangling over the edge of the ledge beforethe cave, they were at liberty to satisfy their longing to taketheir fill of the beauty outspread before them. Perhaps it was bycontrast with the monotony of the forest that the scene below themseemed to them all to be the most beautiful that had ever gladdenedthe eyes of men. Imagine a valley about five miles in length, narrowing at each end, and opening out about the centre to a widthof two miles, the sides of grass sloping up to a buttress of rock, and rippling along the whole length into folds, with little valleysin between--narrow at the summit, where they joined the rock-wall, and wide at the base, where they opened out on the parent valley, through which flowed a broad stream, fringed its whole length with aborder of pale green banana-leaves with stems of gold. In the littlevalleys were gardens, showing up like a chessboard pattern in neatpatches of green, red, and brown, according to whether there wasripening millet, young maize, or new-turned mould. Halfway down thevalley was a village of beehive-shaped huts, with an open space inthe centre, adorned with one fine tree, under whose spreadingbranches they could see distinctly the forms of men. In the strongwhite light every object could be easily picked out--goats browsingamong the rocks at the base of the cliffs; flocks of birds circlingabove the gardens; fowls walking among the huts; tiny little blackforms toddling in the sun, and their mothers squatting with theirfaces turned to the council tree. 

"No women in the gardens, " said Mr. Hume, "and that always meanswar. "

Venning readjusted his glasses. "There is something I can't quitemake out at the back of the village. Looks like men lying down. "

Mr. Hume took the glasses and turned them on the spot. "Humph!" hemuttered, while his brow clouded. "They are dead men. "

"Five, " said Compton. 

"Yes, five. Muata has been at work!"

"Muata? He was sitting here quietly eating last night. "

"Maybe it was either he or they, and he happened to be first tostrike. "

"It is awful!" muttered Venning. 

The discovery destroyed their pleasure in the gentle beauty of thescene below, and they fell to discussing Hassan's probable plan ofattack, arriving at the conclusion that the chances of success werewith him, when they contrasted his force with the small band of mendown below. 

"While they are talking, " said Compton, "Hassan will be seizing thebest positions. Why on earth don't they do something?"

"Perhaps they are at work already, " said Mr. Hume. "There is a smallparty coming down the valley from the left. Muata said somethingabout Hassan's determination to drown the people of the valley. Hecould only flood the valley by damming the stream at its outlet, which would lie to the left, and I guess those men have been seeingto the defence. "

"The leading man has plumes in his head. A chief, I suppose. "

"It is the chief himself, Dick. "

"So it is. I can make out his Ghoorka knife. Let's give him ashout;" and the two sent a loud "coo-ee" ringing down the slope. Thesound reached the ears of the little band of warriors, for theystood to look up; it also reached the people in the village with astartling effect. The men jumped up from the ground, women snatchedup children and scuttled hither and thither like ants disturbed. From the depths below a cry came up clear and crisp--the marvellousvoice of the native, trained through long centuries to speed amessage of war or peace, of victory or disaster, from hill to hill. 

"Ohe! Ohe! my brothers, the chief awaits you. "

"Does he?" said Mr. Hume, dryly. "Then he may wait until he sends upa proper escort. Oh, here they come, I suppose, " as half of Muata'sbody-guard detached themselves and advanced towards the palm-tree. 

"Shall we go down?" said Compton, rising. 

"Sit still, my lad. No chief ever hurries; and, you understand, weare all chiefs. "

"Are we, though?"

"We take rank with Muata, if he is the head chief; not out of pride, you understand, but out of policy. So just keep cool. Just look asif you were a sixth-form boy approached by a deputation from thekids. See?"

"I'll be as cool and haughty as a----"

"Freshman in a bun-shop, " interposed Venning. "Me, too;" and he puton a high and mighty look. 

"Don't overdo it, my boy, " said Mr. Hume, with a grave smile. 

There were seven men coming up, and they breasted the slope insingle file at a walk which quickly got over the ground. On reachingthe ledge they advanced at a trot up to within a few feet, when theysuddenly halted, grounded their spears with a clang, and raised theright hand with the fingers spread. They were fine lads, straightof limb, supple and lithe, without, however, much show of muscle. Their quick glances, with a certain quality of wildness in the eyes, ranged over the three seated and silent whites. 

"Greeting, O white men from out the forest, and the water beyond, and the father of waters beyond that. " The spokesman steppedforward. "Greeting from the great black one, the river-wolf--he whomet the wild man of the woods alone; he who crept in at the gate andslew the man-hunters; he the chief Muata. Greeting to the lion-killer, the cleaver of heads, the maker of plans, who came out ofthe mist in a shining boat. Greeting to the young lions who slew thetree-lion. "

"What is your word?"

"The great chief awaits at the war council. "

"Go down and tell your chief we will descend when we have made warmedicine. "

"Wow!" The spokesman fell back into the ranks. The seven warriorsstood for a time in silence; then, at a word from the spokesman, they went through a salute, turned, and marched back in single file, chanting a war song as they went, as an accompaniment to a dancingstride. 

"What is the war medicine we are to make, sir?"

"Just the remains of our breakfast and supper, with a dose ofquinine to finish up. "

"And those chaps will be telling the people down below that we aremaking strong medicine, warranted to kill Hassan at sight, and wardoff spears, bullets, mosquitoes, and Arab swords. "

"Well, it will give them courage, if they think all that, " said Mr. Hume, coolly, as he inspected the rations. 

CHAPTER XVIII

THE FIGHT IN THE DEFILE

In the afternoon, having hidden away the reserve ammunition, they atlast went down to the war council assembled under the tree in thevillage. Mindful of the instructions of Mr. Hume, the two boys werequite self-possessed and incurious, though it was a great effort torestrain expressions of surprise when they were face to face withMuata. 

If they were under the necessity to play a part, so in a greatermeasure was he. The men about him were a mixed lot--of adventurerswho had been compelled to seek a harbourage from revengeful enemies, of fugitives who had escaped from the slave gangs--and they were ofseveral tribes. Only a strong hand could keep them in order, andMuata could not afford for a moment to sacrifice his authority. Hewas master in that valley, or nothing. Hence he received thegreeting of his old white friends without a sign of cordiality. 

His naturally fine face was hideous in war-paint, two lines ofyellow extending to his ears from the comers of his mouth, andanother black line running from the centre of the forehead downbetween the eyes. Two long black feathers were secured in his headcirclet, and about his throat he wore a necklace made of the teethof the gorilla and the claws of a lion. His eyes were fierce andbright, and the quivering of his nostrils showed also that he waslabouring under suppressed excitement. Mr. Hume recognized at oncethat he was face to face with a crisis, and instinctively herealized that it depended on him to save the situation, not only forhimself and his young companions, but for Muata also. His calm eyestravelled over the ring of black faces behind the chief. He sawthere were two parties. On one side were the young warriors, men ofthe chiefs age, who probably had been brought up in the valley; onthe other was a larger number of older men, whose lowering lookstold a tale of distrust and incipient revolt. 

"Behold, " he said, making up his mind to the role he would play, "weare the chief's 'white men. ' We have made strong medicine. Shall Ispeak, O black bull of the forest?"

"Speak, " said Muata, who had caught the hunter's eye when heacknowledged himself to be the chief's white man. 

"Thus says the medicine, " said the hunter, in his deep tones. "Thereare wolves on the way to eat up the people of this place. "

"Eh--hum!" sneered the older men. "We know. "

"We are ready for them, " shouted the young warriors. 

"Ye know--yes; but thus says my medicine--that you are not agreedamong yourselves. "

"Er--hum!"

The hunter paused, and his strange eyes dwelt on the faces of theold men so that they looked away. 

"There are some among you who would make terms with the enemy. Therewere some who had sent secret word to Hassan. Go ye a little way upthe slope and ye will see the bodies of some of those slain in theirtreachery!"

"Wow!" The older men exchanged uneasy glances, and a woman's voicerang out exultingly, "Ye speak the truth, O lion. "

"Thus says my medicine. If ye do not stand together, the enemy willenter at the gates, and not one will be left alive, for Hassan willslay those whose hearts were with him as he will those who wereagainst him. "

One of the older warriors interrupted, shooting a finger at Muata. 

"Great one, give us the word that we may slay this dog who comes tomake trouble. Is this the counsel of a wise man on the coming of theenemy?"

"What would you do with him?" asked Muata, suavely. 

"Send him after those others;" and the man pointed up the hill. 

"You stand alone in your words, " said the chief, doubtfully. 

The spokesman, with a look of fierce triumph, looked around. 

"These also I speak for. "

"Haw!" said the chief, slowly, running his eye over the old men. "All men of wisdom! Do ye all hold with these words? Be not hasty. Ye have heard the words of the white man. Think well before yespeak. "

"How do we know that he is not Hassan's man?" said the firstspokesman, fiercely. "He was summoned to the council when the sunwas young, and he has only now come. Who vouches for him?"

"I--Muata, the chief. Yet Muata does not give face to him or to you. Ye have heard both sides. Think well and decide quickly, for the dayis passing, and we must be at the gates this night. First let meknow"--and the chief's voice was very mild--"do we agree inresisting Hassan, or is it that we differ about the white men?"

"We will fight against Hassan, " said the spokesman, quickly; "butthis white man has spoken evil words. We know him not; and if thusearly he begins to make mischief, what will happen when the fight isfierce? Stand by me, friends, so that the chief may see our mind. "

"Nay, " said an older man, who had been watching the chiefs face--"nay, let us talk the matter over. "

But it was too late, and the spokesman stepped aside, drawing withhim a score of men. 

"Is that all?" asked the chief, quietly, and his eyes ran keenlyover the faces of the other warriors. "I will consider, for it iswell that we should have no differences. "

"Hark to the wisdom!" shouted the warriors. 

"We must stand together, " continued Muata, "or we fall. And I amglad of this thing; it has shown our weakness. " He stood a moment, then, with a sudden glance back at his young men, he boundedforward, and with one stroke of his terrible knife struck the leaderof the band to the ground. "Hold!" he roared, as the young men, with a terrific shout, sprang forward. "Let a man move but a hand, and he is dead. "

There was one breathless moment, during which men stood withupraised spears, their eyes glaring, their breasts heaving, andtheir breath coming in quick gasps. A woman laughed and the tensionslackened. 

"Back--back!" and before the fierce word of command the youngwarriors drew off. 

"One is enough, " growled Muata, transformed, terrible in his fury, and glaring at the small band who stood around the fallen body. "IfI thought that ye were in the counsels of this dog who lies there, not one of ye would be spared. It was in his heart to betray us toHassan. "

"We knew it not, great black one, " muttered the men, humbly. 

"If I thought ye knew, " growled the chief, with a terrible look, "there would be an end to you. See that ye carry yourselves well. "

The three travellers had stood fast during this scene, and nowMuata, having wiped the blood from his knife, turned to them. 

"It is the law, " he said, as if in explanation. "Haw! when Idescended into the valley, in the night, I heard evil words spokenround the fire. It was time to act, and as it was seen by yourmedicine, the law was done. "

"Ohe! the law was done, " chanted the young warriors. "In the dark hecame--the great strong one--silently out of the woods, and in themorning he smote. "

"It is the law. If any of you feel a thorn in the foot, you cut itout. Good; we are now whole. "

"We are whole, O chief, " cried all the warriors together. "Good;then we will go up to the gateways to be ready. In three companieswe will go, and with each will so one of the chief's white men. Yehave seen how strong is the white man's medicine. If any hold back, the medicine will tell. "

The chief divided the men into three equal numbers of about fiftyeach, which left over some twenty-five of the older men who hadsided with the slain man. 

"Ye, " he said, addressing them, "will stay here with the women; andif it chance that the enemy prevail, take the women and the flocksto the foot of the rocks above, where the white men were. OInkosikase! (chieftainess). "

Muata's mother came forward, armed with spear, and behind her cameother women carrying bows and arrows. 

"These men, O mother, will stay by the kraal. They have learntwisdom; but if they weaken, send a messenger to me. "

"There will be no messenger needed, O son, " said the woman, as sheeyed the cowed men. "So go forth to the battle, for your scouts uponthe heights call. They see the man-eaters and the women stealers. "Her long arm shot out, and every man stared to the far end of thevalley. 

Muata gave a few sharp orders, and the first band of fifty young menwent off up the valley at a trot. 

"O great one, you said the word that helped betwixt me and my men. Igo forward with the next band--do you follow with the others; sothat when Hassan presses us back, as he must, being the stronger, you will let a part of his men pass through the gate; then stop therest, and we who ran will deal with those who got through. "

"Is that your plan?"

"It is a good plan. When the leopard is caged his cunning goes. Yourmen will know where to hide; I have overlooked the place. "

"Good. The plan will be carried out. "

"There is also a second plan;" and Muata fixed his eyes on Compton. "Some men will be hidden within the valley, to fall upon those whoenter. I wish the young lion to remain with them. "

"I should like that, " said Compton, quietly. 

"Very well, my lad, " said Mr. Hume; "and I think Venning had bettergo with you. I prefer it. And hark! if the plan fails, you know theway to the boat. Shake hands. "

They shook hands, and the two lads placed themselves beside Muata ashe went off with the second band. Mr. Hume, with the last company, followed at a slower gait, along a path that skirted the river withits fringe of banana trees, whose broad leaves shone in the sun. After a couple of miles, the river entered the defile through whichlong since it had cut its way out of the valley. It was at theentrance to the defile that an ambush was formed by Muata of fifteenmen, with Compton and Venning. The warriors were already in positionbehind fallen rocks, the two lads being higher up the slope. Theyshowed themselves as Mr. Hume came up, and waved their hats to him. 

"Good luck!" they shouted, with a lump in their throats, for theyloved the "great one, " and they feared the task allotted to him wasfull of danger. 

"Take cover, " he said cheerily; "take good aim; and remember thepalm tree, if things go wrong. "

"And remember, " they cried, "that we want you back safe and sound. "

"I'll take precious care of myself, " he said with a smile, andfollowed his men into the dark defile. 

"I wish we were going with him, " said Venning. 

"The next best thing is to do our part as well as we can. "

They stretched themselves out each behind a rock and waited. 

"There is one thing, " muttered Venning, after fidgeting about; "wecannot wait long, for it will be dark within an hour. "

"The sooner they come the better. "

They watched the shadows creeping across the valley--already overthe river and halfway up the opposite slope; they watched the lighton the cliffs above; but, most of all, they watched the youngwarriors crouching below them. 

"They hear something, " said Venning; and his finger curled round thetrigger. 

"Keep cool, old chap. Remember, we don't fire until after these menhave given the sign. They are coming!"

Sure enough, they were coming. The crouching warriors were quiveringwith excitement, as their gleaming eyes sought the mouth of thedefile, out of which came a confused murmur. From a murmur to ahoarse rumble, then swiftly to the sound of fierce cries, the noisegrew, and then a man leapt into view, and after him a score, allrunning as if for life. The plan was working, but was it not workingtoo thoroughly? Would those men in whom was the panic of flight beable to stand? Muata came last, the long feathers streaming from hishead; and as he ran, he shouted at his flying men words of insult. He cleared the defile, and at his heels there grew a fierce andgrowing clamour. Then, like a pack of wolves on the heels of a deer, the wild men of the woods burst into view. Close together they ran, and when they saw the valley stretching green and peaceful beforethem, they halted to drink in the sight. They feasted their eyes onthe gardens, on the little flocks of goats, on the huts, on thewomen and children streaming up the slope on the right. Then theyshouted in their joy of the promise of blood, of loot, of feasting--shouted and bounded forward. As they were in their stride once more, a wild yell rang out of the defile--a yell of fear and warning, thatreached them, and that brought them up with a jerk. They faced roundimpatiently towards the defile again, and, behold, the mouth washeld by a party of the enemy! But only a small party, less than halftheir number. With a yell they charged, and then they halted, andthen they broke, and in a twinkling they had lost their cunning andwere themselves the fugitives; for at the first step two of theirleading men had fallen, and into the thick of them, from a distanceof a hundred yards, came an accurate and unexpected rifle-fire. Atrap! They shouted to each other, then broke streaming across theriver in a frantic search for hiding. In vain they fled, for thevalley seemed alive with men, Muata's band having scatteredpurposely; while keen-eyed boys, standing in tree-tops, marked downthe fugitives, and shouted directions to the hunters. Even thewomen, led by the chief's mother, came down to join in the pursuit. 

This work was not to the taste of the two white boys. They hadplayed their part, and now they entered the defile to seek theircompanion. 

Compton went ahead into the shadows, following the river, andthinking of nothing but the fight that they knew from the sounds wasraging somewhere before them. As he turned a corner made by aprojection in the wall, a dark hand seized him by the neck, and hewas on his back, with a roaring sound in his ears, and a feeling ofsuffocation. 

"What's the matter?" he gasped presently, when the grip on histhroat relaxed. 

"Can you stand?"

"Yes, of course. " Compton got up. "You look queer. "

"Feel queer, " said Venning. "Enough to make a chap queer to see yougo down like that with a big black on top of you. "

"Where is he?" and Compton hunted for his rifle. 

"Shot him; but, for all I knew, I might have shot you. He fell inthe river. Perhaps there are more of them hiding. "

"You shot him?"

"Yes--go along; but for goodness' sake don't let another one jump onyou. "

Compton gripped his friend's hand, then went on, very cautiouslythis time, for a little way, until he heard the crack of theExpress, followed by the Hunter's bull voice calling on the men to"stand fast. " He dashed on. 

"We are coming, " yelled Venning, in a voice that sounded veryyouthful; but keen ears heard the high treble, and to them itbrought comfort. 

"The chiefs white men, " was the cry that rose, that reached Mr. Humeas he fought coolly, warily, in a crisis of the battle, knowingthat, if he gave back an inch, the men behind him would bolt, andHassan's horde would swarm into the valley. 

"Hurrah, my brave lads!" he roared. "You there behind, meet thewhite men and lead them up to the place where I first stood. "

"Yebo Inkose! (yes, chief)" cried a Zulu of the Angoni. 

Thus the chief's "white men" were met in the gorge by a dark figurepanting heavily, who led them through other dark forms, some lyinggroaning, others silent--led them up to a ledge that overlooked theenemy. 

"What now?" asked Compton, looking at the Zulu, and in the betterlight noticing the wounds on his head and left arm. 

The Zulu pointed down. "Fire, O white men, between that tree and therock. There they are thickest. "

The two rifles flashed out simultaneously. 

"Hurrah!" roared the Hunter from below. "Give them the wholemagazine. "

"Empty the magazines, " said Venning between his teeth; and the Lee-Metfords poured out a little rain of thin bullets into a spacebetween the tree and the rock. 

"Yavuma!" cried the Zulu. 

"Yavuma!" roared the Hunter. "Stand firm, my children!"

The Zulu knelt on the brink of the ledge and peered down into thegloom, out of which came the shouts of the enemy, thrown intoconfusion, when apparently all was going well with the attack. Anarrow struck on the rock, then another. 

"The tree, " he said, pointing into a great tree-top. "Let one chieffire into the tree and the other at the white spot. "

"I see the white spot, " said Compton; and again he emptied hismagazine, while Venning riddled the tree-top, out of which at thedischarge men dropped in haste. 

"Cease firing, " came the command from below. "Now, my children, forward once more. They run. "

"They run!" shouted Muata's men, as they swept out from the defileafter Mr. Hume. 

"At the white spot, " said the Zulu, gripping Compton by the arm. "Fire; ye will not hurt our men. There are men with guns where thewhite is; and, see, others join them. Quick! Shoot, white men, orthey slay our friends. "

A flame spurted out from the gloom down where the white specksgathered, and the Lee-Metfords were not idle. The little bulletsrang into the place where those white-robed Arabs were waiting withtheir rifles, and before they could play their part, the beaten vanof their assaulting party broke upon them in their flight. Thebattle was over! Muata, returning from the killing of the men he haddecoyed into the valley, raised the shout of victory, and the twoboys went down into the gorge to join in the throng of exultant andexcited warriors. 

"Way for the chief's white men!" cried the Angoni Zulu, staggeringfrom his hurts. 

"Bayate! to the white men, " shouted the warriors, rattling theirspears. 

"We are no chiefs men, " said Compton, proudly. 

"Ohe!" said Muata, overhearing the words. "Lion's cub, I hear. Yeshall have the chief's feather; and the great one, where is he?"

Out of the darkness beyond came the chant of deep voices--the songof the men who had held the gate, "The great one, " "Lion-throated, ""He whose roar filled the valley, " and so on, until they recognizedthe form of their chief, when very wisely they directed their praiseto his deeds. 

Mr. Hume, bare-armed, reeking of battle, hoarse from shouting, stepped up and gripped hands with the boys. 

"We go to our house on the hill, chief, " he said. 

"There will be feasting to-night, my brothers, and your places willbe beside the chief, " said Muata. 

"'Sot for us. Feast well; but watch well also, for Hassan has nothad his fill. Come, lads. "

They left Muata giving directions for guarding the gate, and wentback through the gorge into the valley, and down towards thevillage, where they were met by a band of women carrying torches andsinging. The women formed a ring about them, and in this the chiefsmother danced, stamping her feet, and clapping her hands, while shesang of the battle. 

"We go up to the cave, " said Mr. Hume, when the dance was over. "Send us food, mother. "

"In plenty, O shield of my son!"

"And hark to this, wise woman--see that the warriors drinksparingly, for the wolf is most dangerous when he comes to the kraala second time secretly. "

"Wow! That is my thought also; but men are foolish. If the horn isfilled, they would empty it without thought of the morrow. Ohe! youwill eat well;" and she issued orders to some women, who returned tothe village, and other orders to a couple of boys, who were only tooglad to lead the popular white men up to the cave, to light thefires and bring water. And almost as soon as they were at the cavethe women arrived with meat, fruit, and milk. 

The Hunter stretched himself at once on the blankets. "I am not soyoung as I was, " he explained. 

"That won't do, " said Venning, lighting the lamp. "You must not goto sleep without having had your supper. " He turned the light on. "Why, you're wounded!"

"I dare say, lad. It was pretty hot down there at one time. "

"Oh, you know this is not fair to us! I say, Dick, come here. "

"What is it?" asked Compton, coming in from attending the fire. 

"Mr. Hume has got himself wounded, and he never told us. "

"Don't bother about me, lads; I'll be all right in the morning. "

But they did bother about him--washed the blood from his face, cleansed and treated a jagged wound on the skull and fomented aswelling on the right wrist, and then insisted on his taking food. 

"Now, you go to sleep, " said Venning; "and in the morning, perhaps, you'll tell us all about it. "

They were very silent, until the Hunter fell into a deep sleep, whenthey tiptoed out to the fire, and sat long into the night listeningto the noisy shouts of rejoicing that floated up from the villagebelow, where the fires gleamed brightly, too anxious themselves toeven discuss Mr. Hume's injuries. In the morning, however, whenthey opened their drowsy eyes, they were gladdened by the sight ofthe Hunter returning from the bath, with the drops still glisteningon his tawny beard. 

"Now tell us, " they said, when the breakfast was prepared, "allabout the fight. "

"It is soon told. I let the enemy pass in pursuit of Muata, asarranged, but when it came to our part in the plan--that of closingthe defile--we found the job tougher than we anticipated. Thosecannibals are hard fighters. They fell back as we unmasked ourambush; but they rallied quickly, and delivered one assault uponanother. I tell you, we were at our last gasp when your arrivaldecided the matter. "

"You must have come to close quarters?"

Mr. Hume nodded his head. "I received the blow on the wrist guardingmy head from a club, and the cut on the head from a spear. "

"And you used your knife?"

"I dare say I did my share, " said the Hunter, who had held thedefile alone at one time, his staunchest supporter, the Angoni Zulu, having fallen back exhausted. 

For a trying spell his undaunted spirit had stood between the valleyand destruction, and the wild men went back to Hassan with a tale ofa terrible white man who had struck down their bravest with a greatblade. 

"That Ghoorka knife, " he said, "is a great weapon;" and with thatsumming-up of the struggle in the gloom of the defile he lit hispipe, and sat down to gaze upon the valley, so peaceful inappearance, so charged with the everlasting tragedy of life. "Ifthose people were whites, or Arabs, they would now be following upthe enemy to crush him while he is disorganized. But being blacks, they don't look further ahead than their noses, which were madeshort for the purpose. "

"Let us go down and offer to lead an expedition in pursuit, " saidCompton. 

"I guess not, Dick. They'd leave us to do all the fightingourselves; and there's no sense in that. What we have to think aboutis how to get away. "

"Surely there is no difficulty about that. We will go when it suitsus. "

"I'm not so sure, " said Mr. Hume, gravely. 

"But Muata is our friend. "

"Muata cannot do what he likes, and, if he could, you've got toremember this--that Muata in the Okapi, dependent on us, is anotherperson to Muata the chief in his own kraal. "

"I don't think he would be treacherous, " said Venning. 

"He need not go so far as that to upset our plans. Maybe he wouldfind it convenient to keep us here as his 'white men' until it suitshim to let us go. You see, he has got to think of himself as chiefand of his people first. "

"I don't think he would treat us unfairly, " said Compton, warmly, "especially as they owe so much to us. "

"That's nothing. "

"But, sir, these people were kind to my father; and Muata stood byus all along like a brick. "

"Well, " said Mr. Hume, lighting his pipe, "I always find it pays tokeep your powder dry and your eyes skinned. So whether Muatacontinues friendly or not, be always on your guard. "

Muata was friendly. He paid them a visit, and he proclaimed themchiefs with full right to offer council at the Indabas under thetitle of "The Old Lion, " "The Young Lion, " and "The Spider, " thelast distinction falling to Venning, because of his fondness for thepursuit of insects. Muata then dismissed his body-guard and joinedhis newly appointed chiefs at the fire. He sat a long time silent, his eyes bloodshot, his brows bent, and when he did speak, his wordsveiled a hidden meaning. 

"The place is yours, " he said, "to go and to come, to eat and todrink, to take and keep. Choose any place, and the people will buildhuts for you. "

"This cave is dry and comfortable. We want no huts, chief. "

"It is well enough now, but in the rains it is not good. "

"We shall be well on our way before the rains set in, chief. "

"Wow! The Spider has seen how the ants live. "

The Spider admitted that he had studied the ways of the ant. 

"Good. There are strangers in the house of the ant. "

"Oh yes; you mean what are called the 'cows' of the ants. "

"Haw! That was the word given them by the white man who was herebefore. They enter the house of the ant, but out of it never do theypass. "

"Is this, then, the house of the ant?" asked Mr. Hume, quietly. 

The chief turned to the Hunter an impassive face. "My people canbuild ye good huts, and there are many places thereunder nearrunning waters, with well-grown gardens. Choose which ye like, mybrothers. "

"We will examine and select, " said Mr. Hume, with assumed unconcern. "And what of Hassan?"

The chief rose. "He will return like the badger to a bee-tree whenthe bees have quieted down. "

"And you wish to keep us to help you drive him from the honey again?Is that it?"

The chief looked down upon the valley. "A child I came here, Ogreat one; a boy I herded goats among the hills; and while yet otherboys kept the birds off the grain, I went alone into the darkness ofthe woods beyond to seek the man-hunters. Now they seek me. Ye havehelped in one great fight. All the time Muata has been at war--thehunter and the hunted. "

He turned his face again towards them, and there was in it a touchof dignity. He broke into a kind of chant. 

"Ye may hear the laughter of the little ones. There are no such atthe door of Muata's hut, for a man cannot take unto himself wivesand keep his arm strong to cast the spear, his eyes clear to followthe trail, and his heart strong to face the dangers that come out ofthe forest. 

"Ye hear the voice of the young men and maidens singing in thedance. Ye may see the mothers about their work, and the old men atthe fire. For them the cloud is past. They sit in the warmth of thesun, and heed not the shadows that gather in the trees. The boy whosits in the tree to frighten the birds from the grain has his turnat the dance. But the chief, he watches always; for Muata there isno rest in the Place of Rest. "

"You are the first chief ever I heard take that weight upon hisshoulders, " said Mr. Hume, with admiration he could not restrain. 

"Why don't you resign?" said Compton. 

"Haw!"

"Let some one else be chief. "

Muata's nostrils quivered in disgust. "Wow! I am a chief, and theson of a chief. Who is there to take my place?"

"But you were a long time away. "

"Ohe! and, as ye have seen, men conspired to let Hassan and his man-eaters in upon the valley. So my word to you, my brothers, is, tochoose ground for huts;" and the chief stalked away. 

"I don't envy him his post, " said Mr. Hume, looking after him; "butI was right, you see. "

"Well, when we want to go we will go, " said Compton. "In the meantime we will make the best of these quarters and this valley, whichis a good enough place for a holiday. And remember I have to find myfather's journal. "

Leaving the Hunter at the cave, the Young Lion and the Spider wentoff on an excursion, and, of course, turned their steps first of allto the gorge, to see the place where the great stand had been made. They were greeted by a small band of warriors, who were squatting onthe ledge from which they had fired, and who apparently were onguard. They found themselves on the outer slope of the crater, looking down once more on the interminable reaches of the forest, with just a gleam of water showing at intervals to mark the courseof the river up which Hassan's flotilla of canoes had sailed afterleaving the wide lagoon. Descending from the ledge to the level ofthe gorge, they saw the place where the Hunter had made his stand--alittle square of rock opening on to the wood path, up which the wildmen had rushed to the attack. This path, as they saw, was nothingelse than the dry cataract of a river, strewn with boulders, andthen they suddenly turned to each other with an exclamation at thethought, "What had become of the river?"

"It's queer!" said Venning. "Where is the water?"

On looking around, they beard for the first time a peculiarsubterranean rumbling, and going back a few feet, saw the riverdisappear in a smooth, green slide down into a wide fissure. Theystood looking down, fascinated at this mysterious, silent, andstealthy disappearance of the waters that come with such a sparkleout of the bright valley; then dropped stones down, and stoopedtheir heads in vain to catch even the slightest sound out of thedepths. The fissure was about twenty feet wide, with a sloping lipon the near side, and a straight wall on the far or forest side. Theslope seemed to carry the water to the left, and with a desire todiscover its course, they tugged at a large post which stood againstthe wall of the gorge and rolled it into the fissure. It whizzedaway down into the dark, and nearly dragged Compton after it, forthe sleeve of his coat caught on a projecting point, and he wasjerked on to his knees, being saved from further danger by the coattearing. 

"Thanks, " he said, looking a little white; "I am quite satisfiedthat the water disappears. "

"I rather think, " said Venning, "that we have pulled up a gate-post. See, there is one on the other side. A few tree-trunks thrown acrosswould make a fine barricade. Come on back into the valley. "

They went back slowly, looking up at the dark walls of the rockygorge, and Venning stopped. 

"See that rock up there?"

"Looks as if it would drop at any moment. "

"Remember what Muata said about Hassan drowning out the valley. "

"One of his figures of speech. "

"S'pose that rock fell; it would just about fill up this passage, river and all. And if it did not quite, a few men working from theledge, which you see would be behind the dam, could easily fill upthe cracks. Then the river could be dammed and the valley flooded. "

"They'd have to blast the rock, and the task would be tootroublesome. "

They returned slowly through the defile, stopping at the place wherethe warrior had sprung out on Compton, and on reaching the valley, went down among the rustling bananas and among the gardens, wherethe women stopped their work to shout out merry greetings, and tooffer them earth-nuts, wild cherries, sweet cane from the maizepatches, and a thick porridge-like beverage made from the redmillet. They watched the little pickaninnies basking in the sun, andas they strolled, rejoicing in the brightness and in the beauty ofthis little island of rest, set within an ocean of trees, they werefollowed by an admiring company of lads, each carrying his hurling-stick. Coming to a little patch of reeds in the far corner of thevalley, the black boys, with shouts, gave chase to a long-tailedfinch, clothed in a beautiful waistcoat of orange. The two whitechiefs threw aside their dignity, and when, after a breathlesschase, the bird, hampered by its streaming tail-feathers, wascaught, each chief stuck a feather in his hatband. They worked roundthe valley, seeing many strange birds and curious insects, backtowards the cave, arriving on the ledge at dusk. At once they openedout on Mr. Hume with a description of where they had been and whatthey had seen. 

The Hunter listened patiently, but he was evidently preoccupied. 

"We have seen all the valley, sir, and if we do have to stay herelonger than we thought, it is a consolation to think that it is ajolly place. "

"I have been away myself, " said Mr. Hume, "and I made an unpleasantdiscovery. At first I thought it best to keep it from you, but Iknow you would not like that. "

"No, sir. "

"The boat has gone!"

"Gone!"

"Clean gone; stolen or hidden away. I went down shortly after youhad left, found the path by the marks I had made, never saw a livingsoul or any spoor but our own; and I tell you it was a great shockwhen I saw at the first glance that the boat was not there. "

"I wonder----" began Venning. 

"It is no good wondering, " said the Hunter, testily. "Muata or hismother has had a hand in this. "

"We can soon put that right, " said Compton, "by demanding that theboat be produced within a certain time. "

"That would mean war, " said Mr. Hume. "I had thought of that, andso no doubt has Muata. The odds are in his favour by force ofnumbers, for he could starve us out in a week. Violence is no use. Our best plan is to remain friendly, but watchful. "

"Don't you think, " said Venning, thoughtfully, "that we are on thewrong scent? Suppose the boat was stolen by Hassan's men. "

"It may be--it may be, lad; and yet, if Hassan's men did find theboat, it seems to me they would have let it alone to disguise thefact of their presence. Anyway, we will make a further search to-morrow. "

They had cause now for uneasiness, and the boys for the first timebegan to entertain suspicions about Muata's faithfulness, for theloss of the Okapi in the very thick of the forest meant to them whatmarooning is to the sailor man. They sat discussing the matter longinto the night, and when morning came they looked out on the valleywith other feelings than before. It was to them a prison, lovelystill, but changed; and their eyes went to the spot where they hadseen the bodies of the men upon whom Muata had fulfilled the law ashe understood it, the terrible law of swift vengeance upon any whoopposed the will of the chief. There were armed men on their way tothe gorge from the village, and very soon, before the dew had driedon the grass, and while the morning clouds hung white on thehilltops, the chief himself came up with his headmen. And the reasonof his coming was none else than to make Mr. Hume vice-chief, withfull power, in his absence, over life and property in the valley;for, said he, "I go upon the trail myself, and who should haveauthority when I am gone but you, my friend?"

The headmen expressed themselves delighted. 

"But, " said the Hunter, troubled by this upset of his theory thatMuata would think only of himself, "our boat has been taken. "

"The water there is taboo, " said Muata, without showing anysurprise. "No one would go there but that one who may go. If theboat is gone it will be returned at the appointed time. See, myfriend, I give you my seat under the council tree; have you alsotrust in Muata, the lone hunter. "

"Do you go alone?"

"Ay, alone with the silent one--he of the four legs;" and a faintsmile lit up the chiefs sombre and stern countenance, as he glancedat the jackal now reappearing after good eating. 

Mr. Hume went aside with Muata to dissuade him from his purpose, butthe chief was determined, having in his mind a plan to destroyHassan's canoes, as he had learnt from his spies that the Arab wasarranging for another attack. So while the Hunter went down to beformally received by the clan, the two sub-chiefs, the Young Lion, and the Spider, went off on a reconnaissance of their own to thewater that was "taboo, " to all but one, as Muata had hinted. Theypicked up the trail from the marks that Mr. Hume had renewed on hislast trip, and arrived on the banks of the unruffled pool. Bycontrast with the open valley bathed in sunshine, this sheet ofwater at the foot of the perpendicular cliffs was gloomy and creepy. There was, too, a mystery about it, for it had no visible source. There was no ripple on its smooth surface, no trace of a current, except in the centre, where, from time to time, bubbles appeared anddisappeared, leaving just a trace of foam. They tossed pebbles in tojudge the depth from the sound which ranged from the "splash" of theshallows to the gurgling "plop" of the deeps, and followed thepebbles with rocks, till at last the sluggish pool was stirred andfurrowed with waves. And in the very midst of their sport a blackhand appeared above the waters, and with a heavy roll the bodyitself floated before them, dead and stark. 

The boys stood with their hands arrested, staring at this startlingapparition. 

Slowly it drifted away, the strong white teeth set in a grin, a darkoily stain trailing from numerous wounds on the body and limbs. 

"It's a cannibal, " said Compton, in a whisper. 

"How did he come to be here?" muttered Venning, with a fearfulglance around. 

They stepped back to the shelter of a tree, and listened, for if onecannibal had found his way to the pool, it was pretty certain thatothers had. But there was no sound down in those shaded depths. Thelittle waves on the pool quieted down, the surface recovered itsglassy smoothness, the bubbles reappeared in the centre, and brokewith a faint noise audible yet in the stillness. The pool hadyielded up one of its secrets, and the poor body was now come to theend of its voyage, anchored apparently against a log of wood whichhad grounded against the bank. 

"We can't leave it there!"

"No, Dick. "

But the sudden, unexpected, ghastly upheaval from the deep of thatstark body had naturally badly shaken them, and they stood wherethey were in nervous expectation of some other horror. If this placewas "taboo" except to one yet unknown to them, it might be thatsolitary priest or priestess of the pool was now watching them, evenif there were no other cannibals near at hand. So they lingered yeta little longer behind their tree, advancing a foot again and again, only to withdraw it at some fancied noise. 

At last Compton stepped out with his carbine at the ready, stood onthe shore a moment then went on till he was opposite the dead man. There Vending joined him. 

There was a movement in the water among some reeds, then a ripplelike that made by a heavy fish, and the body, leaving its moorings, went slowly away. 

"Crocodile, " muttered Venning, whose nerves had never quiterecovered the shock caused the night the lion charged. 

Compton frowned and shook his head. 

The dark body went straight on, stopped a spell at a cluster ofreeds, then moved on across, moved by some volition not its own, andnot due to the current. 

"It's very queer, Venning. "

"It's horrible. "

Compton's glance came back from the gruesome spectacle to the log, and with a start of surprise he stooped down to pick up something. 

As he did so, Venning, with a yell of terror, gripped him by theshoulder. Looking up and across, Compton saw the dead man standerect in the water, his head and shoulders above the surface, andhis face towards them! He felt the moisture break out on his browwhen the horrid thing began to advance without movement of its own. 

Venning pointed a finger across. "It's coming, " he gasped, turnedand ran; and Compton felt no shame in running after. 

They flew from the dark pool and its nameless horror; but when fromthe height they paused breathless and gasping to look down, therewas no stain, or blot, or ripple on its calm face. 

"Ugh!" said Compton, "it looks what it is--' Deadman's Pool. '"

Venning shuddered, turned his back upon the sheer drop with thestill water at its bottom, and did not stop again until he had thepeaceful valley at his feet, when he took off his hat. 

"Thank goodness, we came out with our wits whole. "

"It was a trick, " muttered Compton, abstractedly. 

"But who could play a trick like that?" asked Venning, in tremblingexcitement. "No human being!"

Compton put his hand on the other's shoulder. "We've both had a rarefright, old man, but neither you nor I will let a thing like thatupset our appetite. Mr. Hume promised us a treat in green mealiesfor tea, and I smell some strange dish. "

"Hulloa, lads, I was just thinking of starting out after you. Seenanything?"

"We've had a scare, " said Compton, lightly, with a meaning look atMr. Hume; but already the observant eyes of the Hunter had seen thatVenning was upset. 

"All right; just try this roast mealie;" and the strong handsteadied the boy to his seat. 

Mr. Hume talked, while they ate, about the ceremony of hisinitiation as vice-chief and of the long, wordy arguments he hadlistened to in a case at law concerning the ownership of a monkey, to which there were two claimants, the boy who had caught it, andthe man who owned the garden where it had been caught. 

"Now, " he said, when they had eaten, "you have something to tell me. Go ahead. "

They related the incident, which lost nothing of its repulsivenessby the relation:

"And you saw no one. "

"No one alive, but I believe there was trickery. There must havebeen, " said Compton, with knit brows. 

"I think so too, but the trick was horrible enough to produce theeffect desired. I must say I felt a creepy sensation when I was downthere yesterday. "

"But we saw no one, " said Venning, with a shudder. 

"By Jove! I forgot this;" and Compton produced a fragment of cloth. "I took that from a post in the pool. "

"A bit of rag, " said the Hunter. 

"Yes; but a bit torn out of my sleeve yesterday over there in thedefile. "

Venning snatched at it. "I have it, " he shouted. 

"I see you have; but you need not yell. "

"The blind river! It comes out under the pool!"

Compton stared. 

"What do you mean?" asked Mr. Hume. 

"Why, sir, we dropped a tree stump into the opening which swallowsthe river over there. As it slipped from our hands, it caught Dick'ssleeve, tearing out the bit of cloth, and nearly taking him downtoo. "

"Well, what then?"

"Why, the stump turns up in the pool a thousand feet below, and somust the river! You see, after entering the fissure, it twists backunderground, to emerge down there at the bottom of the cliff. "

"Of course, " said Compton, eagerly; "and that body must havefollowed the same course. "

"Exactly. "

"That accounts for the appearance of the pool and of the dead man, but it does not explain the trickery. "

"Perhaps it does, " said Venning, who, now that he saw a cause forthings, recovered his nerve and his spirit. "There is a subterraneanpassage. The formation here is volcanic. The valley is an extinctcrater, the hills are the walls. Well, in volcanic formations, there are usually enormous caverns. Now, then, how do we know thatthe Okapi has not been taken into one of those caverns opening on tothe pool?"

"Good; go on to the trickery. "

"The person who hid the boat, if it is hidden, would probably be onthe watch to scare off any who tried to find out what had become ofit. Well, then, if we admit that, it is easy to admit the rest--that a good swimmer could play the trick played on us. "

"Let me find him, " said Compton, angrily. 

"Yes--yes, " muttered Mr. Hume; "there's a lot in that, and we'llfollow it up, but not without a good plan. "

He filled his pipe, and stared into the fire for some time. 

"Clearly, " he said, "what we should do first is to find out if anyone leaves the valley for the pool. As far as we know, there is thegorge up which we came, but there may be openings direct from thevalley into the underground passages. We will leave the pool alone, as if we had had enough of it, and examine the interior cliffs. "

CHAPTER XIX

THE MAKER OF LAWS

The discovery made as to the source of Deadman's Pool gave a newinterest to the valley, and the boys played the role of detectivesunder an arrangement to report the results of their investigationsat night. Each spent a day of careful observation, and at the camp-fire each wore a look of preoccupation. 

"Any success?"

They nodded their heads. 

"I met the chief's mother at the council tree, " said Mr. Hume, "andshe said she would pay us a visit in the morning. She has been ill, or she would have come before. "

"Well, " said Venning, "I met a boy five minutes after I left thecave, and he stuck to me like a leech. "

"One followed me also, " muttered Compton. 

"Seems to me we are under police inspection. "

"Yes; there were boys everywhere. "

"Anyway, I found a 'splash' beetle. "

"Eh!"

"A beetle that has developed the protective instinct till it lookslike a splash of white on a rock. Here it is;" and Venning displayedhis find. 

"Doesn't help us much. "

"No; but when I took it off the rock I could hear a faint rumblingfrom below, over here to the left, between our gorge and the canonwhere the river disappears. "

"Come, that's something. "

"Yes; but as far as I could make out, there was not an opening inthe cliff on that side big enough to hold a swallow's nest. "

"Better luck to-morrow. Now, lads, if that old woman puts anyleading questions about the pool, don't give yourselves away. "

But when the chief's mother came up the next day, she never breatheda word about the pool. She talked of the "good white man" who hadlived in the cave when Muata was a boy. 

"Often have I sat here and talked with him, and well do I rememberhis teaching. "

"Let us hear, mother, " said Compton. 

"He taught us how to till the land, so that it would produce othercrops than manioc. The men he showed how to win iron from the rock, and how to forge the spear-heads and the hoes for the tilling. Medicine he made from the leaves and the juices of the trees, and hebade the women keep clean the huts and the place around the village. But the thing he said most was that living here in peace, in a placeset aside for the weak, it was well we saw that no strangers whocame in should ever leave. For, said he, the strong will take fromthe weak. "

"This is a small place, " said Venning--"too small for any people tofight over. "

"I thought I heard the sound of battle in the valley but two dayssince. "

"It might serve Hassan as a robber's den; but I spoke of otherpeople--white men, mother. "

"Since I had ears to hear the meaning of words, " she said, "the talkwas ever of white men, and one 'white man' warned us against thosevery men who eat up the land and the waters. "

"But what use would this little spot be to them? In a short time itwill be too small for your own people. "

"When that day comes, O Spider, we would be free to go to the landof my fathers, where my son will find his kraal. "

"You will want many canoes, mother, when that day comes. "

"And they tell me, " said the woman, with a keen glance, "that youwhite men are good boat-builders. Aye, I have seen your boats on thegreat river, with wings and with fire. "

"Our boat--the one you sat in--the boat down in the pool, haswings, " said Venning, innocently. 

"Muata the chief tells me the boat has gone. Wow! The place istaboo; I knew the spirit people would take it; but you can buildothers. "

"We have no tools. "

"Wow! You could make them. "

"We have no skill in such work. "

The wise woman pondered. "He, the white man who lived here, consulted a familiar he carried much with him; he would find from ithow to build boats and to forge iron. "

Compton produced his log-book. "See, mother, was it like that?"

"Wow! It was like. "

"Bring me the 'familiar' of the white man, for he was my father, asyou know, and you will hear his voice again. Maybe we will learnfrom it how to make tools for the building of boats. "

"I will search, O son of my white man. "

She sat awhile, then produced a cob-pipe, and, after getting a fillof tobacco, went off smoking with the bowl against her cheek. 

"Humph!" said Venning. "Wants to keep us as boat-builders. I betshe's taken the Okapi as the first of the fleet for the greatexodus. "

"And intends that we should be the navigators as well as thebuilders. "

Mr. Hume was of the same opinion when he joined them later on andwas in possession of the wise woman's remarks. 

"She is the power behind the throne, " he said musingly, "and I havebeen wondering for some time what was her object. Now I see. I havebeen giving my consent as chief to laws which are framed evidentlyto keep us here. "

"Making laws?"

"Been doing nothing else. There was a law making it a crime for anyman to leave the valley without the consent of the people. Anotherlaw calling on all--men as well as women--to work for the good ofthe clan. Another making it a crime to withhold knowledge that wouldbe for the general good. There was another declaring that the vice-chief must have at least two wives. "

"But you have not one wife. "

"That is easily remedied, " said the Hunter, with a groan. 

"What do you mean, sir?"

"See that?" and Mr. Hume pointed at a spot in the valley where manywomen were at work. 

"They are building a hut, " said Venning. 

"My hut!" Mr. Hume filled his pipe with great deliberation, took acoal from the fire, and stared at his two companions till his handwas scorched. "I am to be married at the full moon!"

Venning sniggered. 

"You can't mean it, sir, " said Compton. 

"It's true enough, " said the Hunter, solemnly. "I was passing theacts, as it were, without paying much attention when the womenclapped their hands. 'What was that last law?' I said to the chiefcouncillor, whose duty it is to keep the laws in his mind. 'Thegreat chief, ' he said, 'will take to himself two wives at the fullmoon. ' 'I repeal that act, ' I said; but they would not understand. A law was a law when it became a law, and no one could alter it, butconsidering my position they would build my hut for me. And, as yousee, they are building it. "

He stared gloomily down into the valley; while Venning and Comptonmade singular grimaces in the effort to keep becomingly grave. 

"It is a great honour, " said Compton, presently. 

"And two of them!" said Venning. "I don't know, I'm sure. I'm nolawyer, but I rather think that you, as an Englishman, would not beallowed to take two. Polygamy would become bigamy. "

"I never thought of that, " said the Hunter, brightening up. 

"On the other hand, " went on Venning, with a judicial air, "as youhave been sworn in as a member of the clan, you become of courseamenable to the laws, and it may be that two wives will not meet therequirements of your exalted rank. "

Mr. Hume leant forward, and caught Venning by the ear. 

"It is no joking matter, " he went on. "When will the moon be at thefull?"

"In three weeks from to-day, " said Compton, grinning. 

"Then before that we must be well away, or we may find ourselveslife prisoners. Have you made any discovery to-day?"

"None! We were 'shadowed, ' as before, by boys. "

"So. Well, I will take measures to-morrow to put an end to thisspying. They have had their fun out of me as chief, but I will havemy turn. "

Next day the vice-chief had his turn. He declared the next threedays to be a period of work. Some of the men were to build a boomacross the river in the defile, others were to construct a stonewall across the gorge leading from the Deadman's Pool; while hestarted the women and children on a new set of huts, havingcondemned the old village as unfit for habitation. Further, hepassed a law that any man, woman, or child found wandering aboutidle during the three days, would have to pass a night on the banksof the "tabooed" pool tied to a tree; and, finally, he appointedhimself and the two sub-chiefs, the Young Lion and the Spider, asoverseers, with right to appoint substitutes in their place. 

"Those be the new laws, " he said, in a roar, when the astoundedcouncil had listened to the end. "If any one disputes them, I willtie them head to heels and throw them into the river to learnwisdom. "

No one so much as murmured, for they did not like the look of thoseyellow eyes. 

"Then see that ye begin your appointed work at sunrise, " he said, "for I will make medicine to see these laws are obeyed. "

Then he returned to the ledge, and spent the afternoon with the twoboys making rockets, using stout reeds as cases. In the dark thesewere fired off with great and awe-inspiring' effect on thevillagers, who scuttled into their huts, and remained hid for therest of the night, convinced that the "strong medicine" would indeedfind them out if they did not obey this strange new law. 

"I think I have fixed them for a time, " said the Hunter, grimly, ashe described his new feat as a lawmaker. "For three days we shouldhave liberty to fully inspect the side of the valley above thepool. "

In the morning, at sunrise, the entire clan started out promptly totheir allotted tasks, and Mr. Hume inspected each gang. The womenand children went to the far end of the valley, where the reedsgrew, and the wise woman was appointed inspector. 

"What is this new law, O great one?" she asked quietly, having beenmuch subdued by the fiery rockets. 

"You made the law, mother, that all should work, and I have honouredit. See that you honour it also. "

"Yebo, great one. We women do not complain. It is a joy to us to seethe men work also. Maybe in time, " she added significantly, "thegreat one will do his turn also. "

"Each in his turn, mother. "

He went on up to the gorge, where Venning was on duty, remained afew minutes inspecting the work of wall-building, which should havebeen done before for defence, then appointed one of the headmen asoverseer, and went on with Venning to the river outlet, whereCompton was in charge. An overseer was appointed there, and Comptonwent on a tour of inspection from gang to gang, while the other twomade a close investigation of the cliff for an entrance to thecaves. The two following days they each in turn acted as generalinspector of the works, while the two disengaged made a closeinspection of the cliff; but at the end of the third day they had nosuccess to report. 

"The only thing to do now, " said Mr. Hume, "is to visit the pool, and make a close examination of the walls. "

"We could not examine the wall without swimming in the pool, " saidVenning, "and before I do that I am prepared to stay here a verylong time. "

"I cannot say I relish the idea myself, but I see no other way outof the mess. We must have the Okapi before the full moon. I willtake a look at the pool alone to-morrow. "

CHAPTER XX

THE SECRET WAY

But when day dawned the vice-chief was summoned to hear a messagefrom Muata, who had reported that Hassan had discovered the darkriver leading up to the tabooed pool, and was sending up a strongfleet of canoes, while still more canoes were gathering on the otherriver by which he had made his first attack. His orders were that abody of picked men were to join him to take part in an attack on thefirst body of the enemy. Mr. Hume was fully occupied in carrying outthese instructions, but on the chiefs mother suggesting that thechosen band should be accompanied by the Young Lion, he emphaticallydeclined to allow this. 

"As you wish to keep us here, " he said, "we will stay here; and, take notice, we have already seen what was in the mind of the chiefby taking steps to protect the entrance above the tabooed water. "

The chiefs mother desisted, but she went up to interview the twoyoung chiefs. 

"The great one, " she said, "has very strong medicine?"

Compton nodded his head gravely. 

"He was consulting with the spirits in the night when he sent forththose fire-devils?"

Another nod. 

"Wow! And the spirits told him to build a wall across the entrance, and to make a fence across the river?"

"That was wisely done, as you see, mother. "

"Haw! Tell me why the spirits told him to move the village to aplace which is further from this cave;" and she looked throughnarrowed eyes. 

"Ohe!" said Venning, "that was also wise. The old village stood onlow ground, the new village is on high ground. "

"And a tall man sees over the head of a small one, " she answered, with a scornful laugh. 

"Wait, mother of wisdom. If the enemy secured the gates and floodedthe valley, which would be safer--the village on low ground, or thevillage on a hill?"

"Yoh! It is strong medicine. " She sat looking at them for some timein silence. "It is only the great one who can make medicine?"

Compton looked thoughtful. 

"Come, " she said, in a wheedling tone, touching him with a finger, "make medicine for one who carried food to the good white man. "

"What would you like to know, mother?"

"Tell me, O son of him who taught us--tell me, O lion's cub--tell meif the chief will find his own kraal. "

"That would need strong medicine--very strong. "

"Only a little. Consider; it was these hands who carried the goodwhite man water and wood. Only a little word, his son. "

"A little word, mother; but it requires much thought, and how can ason make medicine without his father's 'familiar'--the thing heconsulted, the thing you promised to bring to me?"

"I will fetch it, " said the woman, rising. "In the morning youshall have it;" and she went in the direction of the gorge. 

"Seems to me, Dick, the old lady is at the bottom of this mystery. You'd better be very careful how you deal with her. "

"I want to get my father's book, " said Compton. 

"Of course you do; but you want to get back the Okapi as well, andif you offend her it may turn out more awkward for us. "

"Well, then, suppose we follow her now?" and Compton, always readyto act, jumped up. 

"What's the good? Remember how she spotted Mr. Hume the day he'blazed' the trees. Believe she's got eyes in the back of her head. No; but I learnt a trick from a keeper in dear old Surrey that willdo what we want. "

In the dusk Venning put the trick into effect with the help of hiscompanions. It was simple enough. He drew fine linen threads from ahandkerchief, stained them black and stretched them across the trackdown the gorge at five different intervals, and at the height of afew inches from the ground. 

In the morning, at sunrise, the chief's mother was at the cave. Seeing Mr. Hume, she promptly begged a pipe of tobacco, and sittingdown, expounded at great length the laws of the clan, together withthose which had been passed during the past few days. 

"The chief's hut, " she said, "will be ready at the round of themoon, and the people look forward to much feasting. "

"They had better be preparing to meet Hassan and his wolves, lestthey themselves be food for the pot. "

She snapped her fingers. "Hassan will die within the gates, and hiswolves will perish in the uttermost depths. "

"What depths are they?"

She laughed, and, with a glance at Compton, went off down towardsthe village, bearing on her head a square-shaped package. 

"Your book, Compton! Better follow her. Evidently she wants to speakto you alone, Keep her engaged while Venning and I go back on hertrail. "

Compton overtook her below the ledge, where, as if expecting hiscoming, she was waiting; and while they were engaged, the otherswent off on the trail. 

"Hurrah!" said Venning, pointing to the ground as they turned intothe gorge; "the first string is broken. She came out this way. "

They went on, keen as hounds on the scent, and both pointed to thesnapped ends of the second string. Passing over the stone wall justbuilt which here crossed the defile, they came to the third cotton--broken also. The fourth was, however, intact, and so was the fifth. 

"Thank goodness!" muttered Venning. 

"Bad luck, you mean. "

"No, sir; good luck. I was beginning to think that she had goneright on down to that dismal pool. "

They went back to the broken strand, and Mr. Hume brought the brokenends together. "Just hold them in position. " He climbed on the wall, and, with the gorge opening away between the enclosing cliffs, hetook his line from the spot where Venning kept his fingers on thebroken ends. 

"Good, " he said, returning. "The cotton was broken at a point two orthree yards out of the straight track. She must have gone towardsthe wall on our right. "

Venning's eyes went to the cliff; but the Hunter examined theground, and expressed his satisfaction at what he saw in a lowchuckle. 

"What do you see?" asked Venning, breathlessly, glancing quickly atMr. Hume's face, and back at the wall of rock. 

"I should like Muata to be here. It is a good point. "

"What, sir--what?"

"A woman's skirt on the dew, lad. See, a man would pass throughthose two rocks there and leave no mark; but a woman, with the swingof her skirt, wipes a spread of dew off on either side. You can seethe dark smudge in the glister of the dewdrops. "

"I see, " said Venning, starting forward towards two rocks with apassage between. 

"Steady, lad. Follow me. "

He went forward to the rocks, which were almost under the rightwall, and inch by inch examined the stony ground. 

"The direction should be there, " he said, pointing ahead; "butthere's nothing but a dead wall. "

They ranged up and down in a fruitless attempt to pick up the lostspoor, and came back to the two rocks. 

"Maybe she did not pass this way, sir. "

"A sign is a sign, and a spoor a spoor. She passed between theserocks this morning. "

"Then she must have come down the wall;" and Venning, steppingforward, placed his hand on the rock. He started back and stared upat the rock. Then he touched it again, with a curious look in hisface, and next placed his ear against it. "Come here, sir. "

Mr. Home went forward, and, placing his hand on the rock, felt itvibrating. Then he placed his ear to the rock. 

"What do you hear?" asked Venning. 

"A noise like the roar of the sea. "

"Or the rush of a great body of water. "

"Seek ye the honey-bee, O Spider. "

They whipped round at the mocking voice, and saw the Inkosikasestanding a few feet off, having come upon them with great quietness. 

"Where is the young chief?" asked Mr. Hume at once. 

"Be not afraid, great one. He sits over the 'familiar' of hisfather, learning wisdom and strong medicine. And is your medicine atfault, great one, that you should set snares in the path for awoman, as boys do for the coneys?"

She laughed, and the great one caught hold of his beard, as he eyedher, wondering whether the time had come to make her speak. 

"Is it honey ye seek, O Spider, young chief who watches always?"

"It is honey, mother. " Venning tapped the rock. "Ye may hear thebees humming within. We would enter the hive. "

She laughed again. "Ohe! ye are too wise for me, ye two. If I didnot show you the way, I see ye would find it. "

She stepped past them, walked a few paces, then, with one handupreaching to a knob of rock, and a naked toe in a notch, sheclimbed up the height of a man, stepped to a ledge, and held a handdown to Venning. A few steps along the ledge, when they stood by herside, brought them to a depression in the cliff. Removing a fewstones, she said with a look of sadness--

"Behold the depth that was my secret, and is now yours. "

A gush of moist air came out of the dark opening, bringing with ifthe sound of hoarse mutterings. Now they had found the opening, theydid not know what to do, far; it was not inviting, and they stoodlooking at it warily:

"You would have me enter first, " she said quietly. "Come, then, forit is not all dark within. "

She disappeared, and Mr. Hume followed next, with a whisper toVenning that they must not let her get out of sight. A little waythey passed along a narrow passage, facing a rushing current ofmoist air, and then stepped out into a cavern dimly lit by a shaftof light that crept through the roof. The woman crossed the floor, and they followed her down another passage, into another cavernlarger than the first. This, too, was dimly lit, and as they stoodwith a feeling of mystery and uncertainty that comes to men whenthey quit the surface bathed in light fop the-dark underground, theyfelt the floor vibrate under their feet, and heard, as if the sourceof the uproar were near at hand, a great booming with a shrill noteat intervals. 

"Would ye enter further?" asked the woman. 

"Have ye entered further, mother?"

"Yebo, 'Ngonyama (lion). "

"Then lead on. "

"Listen, Ngonyama; listen, Indhlovu (elephant). There is a path forthe lion in the veld, and another for the elephant in the forest;but this path is only for those who know it, and are welcome tothose who made it. The sun shines without. It were better ifNgonyama and the Spider blinked their eyes in the light Mid thewarmth. "

"If ye have trodden the way, so will we. Lead on. "

"Ye lose your wisdom, great one; but see, I go;" and she went fromthe cave into a vaulted passage, in which they encountered the blastladen with moisture, that made the walls slimy and the floor aseries of puddles. 

The way was dark, and they splashed and stumbled in growingdiscomfort in the footsteps of the leader, who kept on at a quickwalk, showing a thorough familiarity with the passage. Sometimes, asthey could tell from the sound, the roof of the passage extended togreat heights; at others it closed in till they had to stoop theirheads. But their guide kept on without a pause, and presently, totheir great relief, they saw ahead a faint reflection of the lightupon a wet slab of rock. Hurrying on, they emerged from the passageinto a vast chamber, across which, though there was light enough todistinguish each other, they could not see. Mr. Hume took a stepforward, with his face turned up, in an effort to see the roofthrough the films of vapour that floated overhead. 

"Stop, Ngonyama--see to your footing;" and the woman's handrestrained him. 

He started back involuntarily, for at his feet there was a yawningabyss, out of which came the sound of rushing waters, and thecurling wraiths of vapours, but so deep and so dark that the eyecould detect no gleam of the flood beneath. 

"Thanks, mother. "

"Ohe! Ngonyama, remember I stood between you and death that time. "

She moved away to the right, and they followed, going on a ledgewhich skirted the yawning abyss. 

It was a perilous passage, and both of them would have been glad toturn back after they had gone a few steps, if the woman hadsuggested it. A feeling of vertigo seized them, so that they had tostop, leaning away from them for fear of falling over out of sheerdizziness. When they did move again, they groped for a footing witha complete feeling of helplessness, expecting every moment to slipon the slimy rock, and the further they advanced the worse theyfelt, for it would be as bad to turn back as go on. Looking back, Mr. Hume at one pause saw a little splatter of flame. Venning hadgroped for a match and struck a light; but before he could seeanything by its reflection, Mr. Hume blew it out, and placed hisheavy hand on the boy's shoulders to steady him. 

"Worst thing you could do, " he said. 

"It's so dark, " muttered the boy. 

"Dark enough, but she's gone ahead safely enough. "

They stood for some time, and seemed to gather comfort from thetouch of each other's hands. 

"I am ready now, " said Venning. 

"That's good. Keep your eyes raised and your shoulder to the wall. Forward!"

They crept rather than walked round that fearful gallery, traversingthe unknown height with the roar of waters coming up from the unseendepth, and the silent wraiths of vapour making the darkness visibleas they curled upwards to disappear into the vast vault. 

"If I can only get safe out of this, " thought Venning at each step, "I will never try to leave the valley again by this way. "

The valley was only a few hundred yards away, but it seemed to himthat he must have left it ages ago. Every second had been chargedwith a new sensation since he left the brightness outside, and eachslow, wary, suspicious movement he made had in it a whole sequenceof fears. Would he slip? "Would his foot fall on firm rock? Wouldsomething--he knew not what--grab him from out that awful pit? Wouldsome one or something--he was sure there was something creepingbehind--would it spring on him? Would that woman's hand suddenlyshoot out from some crevice and hurl the both of them headlong? Wasit never coming to an end? And the rock was shaking worse than ever!It would be easier to crawl! Of course it would. He went down on hishands and knees and laughed, because it was so easy. There wassomething on his back, something that jogged about and hit him onthe side of the head, that gripped him round the chest! What was it?He felt gingerly, and laughed again. His carbine! What was the useof a carbine there? No good, of course. What a joke to throw it downand hear the splash, or, better, to fire it off and hear the echoes!

"Venning!"

The boy chuckled as he sat on the ledge tugging at the buckle. 

"Why, lad!"

The great hands closed on the boy, lifted him up, and bore himlightly as the man felt his way with his feet. He counted his steps, assuring himself that before he came to seventy-five they would beat the end. 

"Ngonyama!" cried a voice, quite close. 

"We are coming, mother. "

"Ngonyama! Ngonyama! Ngonyama!" and the voice grew fainter. 

"Wait--wait, O mother of chiefs, for the way is dark, and we moveslow. "

"Slower fast, slower fast, Ngonyama, it matters not. "

"It is far, mother! Are we near the end?"

"Near the end--very near! Is it the dead ye carry, Ngonyama?"

"Nay, mother; the boy is but sick. But where are you, that ye seeand are not seen, that your voice is near and yet far?"

The woman laughed. "So ye grow afraid, O great one? Said I not, Indhlovu, that this was not your path? Death is around. "

Mr. Hume went forward steadily, counting his paces to keep his mindfrom wandering, and to his great joy he came suddenly on an openingin the wall which led towards welcome light, away from the horrorsof that unfathomable pit. The woman waited for him there, lookingvery tall against the light. 

"The boy is sick, mother--a little water. "

"It is water now. Outside it was the honey he asked for. Set himdown, Ngonyama--the child is weakly; set him down, and see toyourself. "

"What words we these, woman?"

"Woman, yes; but master here, Ngonyama; and my words are easy tounderstand. Let the child be, and I will bring you out of this. "

"Bring me water, " he said sternly. 

"There is plenty beyond. Carry him to the water if ye will, but thewater will have you both. " She laughed shrilly. 

Mr. Hume went on towards the light, and found himself in anothercavern reaching far up to a roof, from which hung long stalactitesglistening white. There was light enough reflected from thesehanging pillars to see, and he looked anxiously into Venning's face. The boy's eyes were closed. 

"Water, " he said. 

"Ohe! there is water beyond;" and she pointed ahead. 

Again he went on without a thought about the marvels that disclosedthemselves in the cave in the shapes of crystals and cones ofsulphuric origin; but, as he advanced, he was aware of strange, intermittent sounds resembling explosions. Pushing on, he saw thewhite spray of falling water, then the gleam of wet rock, andstopped at the edge of a cataract, milk white from the churned foam. He soaked a handkerchief in the water and bathed the boy's face. 

The woman was at his side. "Leave him; he belongs to the water. Leave him and follow, lest ye also go down. "

"He Is only weak, mother. In a little time he will be ready tofollow. "

He applied himself to the task of bringing the boy round, and whenhe looked up again the woman had gone. Then for the first time heglanced around him, and saw that he stood in a small cave openinginto a noble vault, lit up from top to bottom by a broad fan oflight that streamed through a fissure in the roof. Opposite to wherehe stood, and a little above, the river emerged from itssubterranean passage in a long green slide, to break into whitewhere it fell upon the rocks before its headlong rush at his feet. In the rock above the point where the river emerged there wereseveral round holes, and at intervals of a few seconds, columns ofwater spurted through these with loud reports. They shot far out, then broke into fine spray, on which the light produced wonderfulcolour effects. He could scarcely take his eyes off these blow-holes, so strange, so fascinating was the sight, and it was only thefaint sound of a sigh that called his attention to his patient. 

CHAPTER XXI

A VOICE FROM THE DEAD

Compton had found his father's book. When the woman gave it to himhe sat down for an hour turning over the leaves, closely filled withneatly written handwriting interspersed with many sketches. To himit was a message from the dead--a priceless treasure; and as he readand saw how valuable it was as a record of close and intelligentobservation in a new field, he was seized with an eagerness to beoff with it out of the wilderness. He hurried to the cave, but, ofcourse, there was no one there. Then, still carrying the pricelessbook, he ran on to the gorge, where the warriors whose task it wasto guard that part were gathering. Some of them were examining thebroken lengths of cotton, and drew his attention to them. 

"It is medicine, " he said briefly. "Have ye seen Ngonyama?"

They had not seen him since in the early morning one had noticed thegreat chief and the Spider enter the gorge. 

"And it is not meet, " they added, "that we should seek to find outwhere the chiefs had gone, since the place below was taboo. "

"It is well, " said Compton; and he returned to the cave to wait withas much patience as he could summon, under the impression that hisfriends had, of course, gone down to the pool in search of themissing boat. 

The afternoon, however, passed quickly, for he was poring over theJournal, and it was almost dark when a step without attracted hisattention. 

"I say, " he shouted, "come and see. "

But it was not Venning who entered, but the chiefs mother. Shelooked tired, and her short skirt was stained with mud and moss. 

"Halloa, it's you, is it?"

She squatted before the fire with her eyes on the book. "Ye willmake medicine now, son of the wise man. Ye will teach our men how tobuild swift boats, and how to make the 'fire that kills. "

"You are wet; you have been in the water. "

"Oh! it is a little thing. "

"I thought you were the great one, or the Spider. I have not seenthem since the morning. "

"Maybe they have gone a journey. What says the medicine?"

"It says that until they return safe as when they went, it will notspeak, " said Compton, with a chill suspicion growing in his mind. 

She laughed. "Look again, son of my friend. Maybe they will notreturn except the things be done that must be done. "

"What things?"

"I have said. The things that will make our people strong for thegoing out--the swift canoes and the shooting fire. That is my word. "

"And this is my word. If any injury befall them, the medicine thatis here"--and he tapped the book--"will work against yon and yours. "

He looked at her very sternly, attempting to carry the matter with ahigh hand, for he judged from her words that something had happenedto his friends. 

"Wow! Are my people so few that a boy can talk to me in this way?"She snapped her fingers. 

"And what stand would you and your people have made against the wildmen but for Ngonyama? What will they do when Hassan comes again, ifthe great one is not at hand to help?"

"Ohe! Little chief, " she laughed, "you cannot frighten me withtales of Hassan; and think well over my word. "

She went away down towards the new village that had been builtbeyond the river, and her voice rose in a chant as she went--a chantthat was taken up and thrown back by the women returning home fromthe gardens. Compton built up the fire, and then walked up to themouth of the gorge, restless and consumed with anxiety. Those wordsof the woman, "maybe they will not return, " haunted him. They seemedto him ominous of danger. All night he patrolled up and down theledge, between the cave and the gorge, fearing they would not come, and yet expecting to hear their voices at any moment; and in themorning he was heavy-eyed from want of sleep. The night-guards fromthe gorge trotted by, their places having been relieved. 

"Have ye seen Ngonyama and the Spider?"

"There is smoke, " they said. "Maybe the white chiefs make thefire. "

"Where?"

"Beyond the water that is taboo. "

He hurried off with his glasses, and from the gorge saw smoke risingfar down the forest; and the sight gave him hope, for it might meanthat his friends had followed the river down from Deadman's Pool onthe trail of the missing boat. Bidding the men keep a good watch, and report any new development to him at once, he went back to theeave to breakfast and to renewed study of the journal. As he read, his attention became riveted on a series of sketches which laid barethe subterranean passages under the south-west portion of the cliff, between the gorge and the canon giving outlet to the river. As heread, too absorbed to think of anything else, he came upon thefollowing note:--

"If it chance that understanding eye should fall on these notes, letmy directions be carefully observed. No stranger--certainly nowhite man--would be permitted to leave the valley once he discoveredits existence, by setting foot within its encircling cliffs. Let himnot try to escape by the gorge on the south, for though apparentlyundefended, it is really guarded by a band of women who have theright to kill any person--not taboo--who passes through. Thesewomen, victims of a dark and degrading superstition, are recruitedfrom the village, and once they quit the valley they are never seen, for they live about the shores of the pool beneath the cliff and incaverns adjoining, which form the lower or basement rooms of aseries of stupendous vaults produced by volcanic agency. By nightthey prowl about the slopes above the pool; by day, some of themkeep watch over the passage through the gorge and through the canonfrom loopholes to which they have access from the lower vaults. Iknow, because I myself tried to escape by this passage, and onlyescaped owing to the vigilance of the chief woman in the valley, whoexercises control over the band, and who had her own purpose toachieve in saving my life. I was useful to her. When ultimately, after much labour, I discovered the only safe way out, I was, owingto repeated attacks of fever, too weak to avail myself of thediscovery. My hope is that my efforts may be of service to some one--if, unhappily, any should follow in my footsteps--who would bebetter prepared to face the dangers and the difficulties of theforest beyond. Listen, then, to these instructions; On the ledgeskirting the south cliff, and leading up to the gorge, there is acave, which may be recognized from the existence near it of a bathhewn out of the lava by human hands. That cave is the key to theunderground passage. "

Compton looked up with shilling eyes. "The very place I am in, " hemuttered. 

"For many months it was my home--if I may so misuse a word socharged with bitterness to me. Not a day passed but my thoughts wentin sickness of spirit to my home, to my wife and little one; and itwas when I was thinking of them that I thought I heard them callingmy name from the cave. A sick man's fancy! But there had been asound, and on entering to the far end of the cavern, I heard itrepeated--a faint droning, such as would be produced by a shell heldto the ear. There was, too, a current of air, and, feeling in thedarkness, I found the crack through which it emerged. With a spear-head I easily broke the rock away, for it was a mere envelope. Thrusting the spear in, I felt there was an opening beyond. When Ihad satisfied myself that the passage extended for some distance, myfirst precaution was to find a slab of rock to fit the opening I hadmade. "

Compton laid down the book, looked out to see that no one was near, and crept to the far end of the cave. Pressing with his hand, hesoon found the rock yield. Satisfied, he returned to the journalwith renewed eagerness. 

"My first careful examination of the passage disclosed the welcomefact that it extended a great distance in a westerly direction, butwithout lights I saw it would be dangerous to attempt a thoroughinvestigation. Accordingly, I occupied myself for several days inmaking a supply of candles, using the barrels of my gun as a mould, and mixing beeswax with oil clarified from the fat of animals, suchas monkeys and coneys. Provided with two such candles, I began myexplorations underground, and after many failures discovered a wayof escape, which others may benefit by. The passage, in anuninterrupted course, dips under the gorge and enters the south-westcliff, which is completely honeycombed. After dipping under thegorge, it branches in several directions, but care must be taken tofollow the extreme right-hand passage. This follows the outer shell, skirts what I have called the Hall of Winds, dips down through along tunnel, and emerges on the outer slope at a point near the spotwhere the river disappears. The passage is safe, but can only betaken provided a candle or torch is used. If these directions shouldcome under the notice of some unhappy traveller, let him accept myearnest wishes for success in his efforts to escape from a placewhich to me was first a haven of rest and then a hateful prison, andthere is a feeling I have that I have not written this in vain. "

The son of the lonely Englishman who had written the foregoing insadness of spirit, but in hope for others, sat long staring beforehim with a lump in his throat. 

"Not in vain, my father--not in vain did you labour, " he murmured. Again he read over the directions, then very carefully he packed thejournal and strapped it on his back, to be with him wherever hewent. Noticing how the time had passed while he had been receivingthe message from the dead, he hurried to the gorge to see if therewere any signs of his friends, and his eyes went to the dark walls, and to the silent pool far below, with a feeling of intenserepugnance at the thought of the ghoulish women who lurked unseen, but seeing all. 

"Have you seen Ngonyama?"

"The smoke ascends no longer, Inkose; but we have seen the signalanswered. "

"How so?"

"Another smoke arose yet further off, and yet another, and beyondthat another, till the word of the fire-makers was passed back evento the wide waters. "

"Then it was not Ngonyama who made the fire. "

"It was made by the enemy, Inkose. "

"Have you sent out spies?"

"Of what use, lion's cub? Muata, the black one, hangs on theirtrail, and when the time has come he will spring. Wow! They arefools to come up by that path. "

He went back deep in thought, and made up his mind to see the wisewoman again. So he passed down into the valley, crossed the riverto the new village built on a small flat-topped hill, and found thechief's mother sitting before his hut. 

"I want my brothers, " he said at once. 

"The valley is open--search for them. You are a chief; put the mento the search. Why come to me?"

"Because you only know. "

"Haw! If they are not in the valley they are out of the valley, andonce they are out they have broken the law. Who am I that you shouldask, since the law is made by the men?"

"Maybe, mother, they are not in the valley or out of the valley. "

She threw a startled look at Compton, which he was keen to notice;then, with an expression of puzzlement, she nodded her head. 

"Your meaning is dark, lion's cub. See, the valley is kraaled inlike the goat-pen, and if the goats be not in the kraal they areoutside the kraal. As for Ngonyama, see where the women build hishut against his coming. "

"I see, " said Compton. "Perhaps he was sent for by the chief, andhas gone a journey, for the enemy are on the move. "

"That is plainer to me, " she said quickly. "It must be so, for thechief loves Ngonyama. "

"Yes; that must be the reason. It lifts a load off my mind, mother. "

"Ow aye I did not like to see your face clouded; and now you willmake medicine for me?"

"I will; bat there are a few things I require. I am young at thiswork, mother, and cannot do without all the aids. "

"Oh ay, I know, " and she nodded her head with a fierce look in hereyes. "The blood of a man, the heart of a kid, and the tongue of acrocodile. "

"No, no; a calabash of fat and a little wax. Only that. "

"Your medicine is not like mine, " she said musingly; "but I have itin my mind now that the good white man used much fat in hismedicine. "

She went into her hut, and returned presently with a calabash filledwith fat and a square of wax. 

"And ye will build fast canoes?"

"We will do great things, mother, " said Compton, taking the things. "But it is not well that people should pry in upon one who is makingmedicine. He must have quiet. "

"Wow! No one shall pass your house in the rocks, O wizard of mine. "

He hurried up to the cave, passing the reed patch on his way to cutseveral stout stems, and began without delay his preparations formaking candles. While the fat and wax were melting in a couple of"billies, " he cut down the canes into sections of about six incheseach, and buried them on end with the mouth up in soft ground nearthe bath, with a length of stout cord strung down the centre of eachtube, and secured by a cross-piece. When the stuff had melted, hefilled up the moulds, twelve in all, and left them to cool off. Thentaking a stout cane left over, he cut away one of the joints, leaving a socket, thus converting it into a very handy candle-stick. Next he made up a parcel of food and medicine, carefully oiled hisrifle, to protect it against the damp underground, and then went offup to the gorge to have a last look for his friends. 

The warriors were buzzing about the barricade, evidently in a stateof great excitement, and Compton saw the cause of this in the personof a solitary man ascending the slope from the direction of thepool. 

"It is the chief's runner, " said the men as the man came plainlyinto view. 

Up he came, breasting the steep ascent with a look behind atfrequent intervals as if he feared pursuit, and when he reached thewall, he drew a great breath of relief. 

"Mawoh!" he grunted. "I saw the dead water heave, and there was alaugh from nowhere. "

"What message?" asked one of the headmen. 

"It is for Ngonyama, " said the runner. 

The headman fell back and looked at Compton, who then steppedforward. 

"Give the message to me. "

"Wow! This, then, is the chief's word. 'Say to Ngonyama, the greatwhite one, that the enemy will come against the valley up from thedead water. Ngonyama will let them advance until they are in thejaws of the rocks. Then will Muata, the black one, fall on the rearand eat them up. ' So said the chief. "

Compton tamed to the headmen. "Where are the white chiefs?"

"We do not know, Inkose, " they said uneasily. 

"Ye will take the orders of your chief yourselves then, for unlessmy brothers are restored in safety, I will not help you. "

"Maybe, " said a man in a whisper, "the wizards have taken them tothemselves to learn wisdom. "

"Who are these wizards?" demanded Compton, sternly. 

"Haw! Inkose, how shall we know?" But their eyes went fearfully tothe silent walls of the gorge. 

"Who does know?"

"We know not, Inkose. These things are not for us. "

"I know;" and Compton eyed them sternly. "It is a woman who is chiefin this place. Say to her the words of the chief, and bring me herreply. "

They hesitated, muttering. 

"Ye know the black one, " said Dick, quietly. "He has asked forNgonyama. Let the woman produce Ngonyama or give her authority, lestthe black one turn his anger on you. "

"The lion's cub says well, " answered an old man. "I will go. "

As he went off, Compton bade the indunas see to the defence, "For, "said he, "without the white men, you will have to fight hard foryour kraal. " The indunas laughed as they gave their orders, sayingthat all they wished for was a good fight. Compton retired to hiscave, and it was not long before the chiefs mother herself came upwith her bodyguard of women, armed with bow and arrows. 

"Ye sent for me, O great chief?" she cried, with a little mockinglaugh. 

"You have heard the chiefs message?"

"And this is my answer, " she replied, pointing to the women. "Wewill meet the enemy. "

"And Ngonyama?"

"Ngonyama! I have heard that name too often. See, young one, thereis not room in a kraal for two strong bulls. "

She nodded her head with a very hard look in her eyes. 

Compton kept down his rising wrath at this ominous speech. 

"Very well, mother, " he said quietly. "You know best. I will now getabout my work, if ye order that I am left in silence. "

"I will see to that, " she answered; "and see to it that you do all Ihave asked, lest you also go to those wizards you spoke of to themen. "

She looked at him meaningly, and went on with her escort. 

Compton watched them out of sight, then ran to his moulds. Takingout the canes, he split them down in turn, disclosing a dozencandles, roughly moulded, and very greasy, but he hoped suitable forhis venture. One he fixed in the socket of the torch, the others hepacked away carefully in an oilskin bag. Then slinging on hiscarbine, bandolier, haversack, and making them all secure bystrapping a belt over all, he crept through the opening at the farend of the cave, replaced the rock, and lit his candle. After muchspluttering and a great deal of smoke, the flame caught, and hestarted on his tour, breathing a fervent hope that it would lead himto his lost friends. 

CHAPTER XXII

A TERRIBLE NIGHT

We will return now to Mr. Hume, who was left supporting theunconscious form of Venning on the brink of the rushing river, withthe vast vault above him, and the roar of sharp explosions bellowingat intervals through the hollows. As he stooped over his youngcompanion, he caught a fluttering of the eyelids, and placing theboy on the ground with a pillow made by his rolled-up coat, heunfastened the little medicine-bag which each always carried, andgave him a strong restorative. Then he chafed the cold hands, tookoff the wet shoes, and did the same to the feet, which were likemarble. As the blood circulated under the friction, Venning regainedhis colour, and suddenly looked about him. 

"I'm here, lad, " said Mr. Home, cheerily. "You grew a little dizzy, but you're all right. "

"What's that noise?" asked the boy, breathlessly. Mr. Hume pickedhim up, and carried him to the door of the vault. 

"Magnificent, isn't it? Aren't you glad we came? One of the wondersof the world; and you've got the crow over Dick this time. "

Venning sighed. "It's rather awful, " he muttered. "It's grand, lad, grand! See how the water juts out like a column of steam with theroar of a big gun, and how the light falls upon it in a thousandhues, as the fine spray falls. "

Venning's eyes opened wide as they looked up. "Like golden rain at adisplay of fireworks. "

"The very thing, lad, " answered the hunter, enthusiastically. 

Venning's eyes ranged slowly down to the well of green water archingout from the black wall, and then to the snow-white flood where thefoam hissed in its giddy descent. 

"Where is she?"

"She'll be back soon. But we cannot wait for her here---there is toomuch moisture. We'll get back to a drier place. "

Still carrying the boy, he made his way back to the great chamber, lit up mysteriously by those pale cones and glistening columns. Herehe found a dry place in a comer, and after placing Venning on theground, he struck a match. 

"Here's a find, " he said, pouncing on a piece of driftwood. 

With his Ghoorka knife he soon split it up, and in a short time afire was blazing, throwing a red reflection on the stalactites. Itwas an eerie place, echoing to the thunders of the explosions, withpitch-dark comers, and those ghost-like forms in the misty heights, but Mr. Hume would not allow his patient time to brood over thesurroundings. He shaved off fragments of biltong for him to eat, talking cheerfully all the time, and at last had the satisfaction ofseeing the overwrought nerves of the lad quieted in sleep. Then theanxiety that had filled him all the time appeared in the expressionof his face, and he stepped away a few yards to send a call for thewoman ringing up into the vault. The cry ran away mournfully in aseries of diminishing echoes, but no answer came, and he looked tohis weapons, built up the fire with other fragments of wood that hadbeen evidently borne in at times of flood, and explored the cave. There was no sign of the woman anywhere, but he found three exits. Relinquishing any idea of following them until Venning was fit towalk, he returned to the fire, and sat down with his back to therock waiting for the woman's return. If he felt doubt or fear, hefought against it, resolving that, come what would, his first carewas to save his companion, but that there was cause for doubt heknew very well from the remarks and bearing of the woman. Probably, he thought, the secret of the underground was hers only, and shemight well have a motive sufficiently strong to preserve thatsecret even at the sacrifice of their lives. Full of these thoughts, he began another examination of the cave, confining himself thistime to a search of the floor. Going down on hands and knees, andcarrying a lighted stick, he minutely inspected the thin layer ofdust which had settled since the last flood-waters had rushedthrough. Traversing slowly the width of the cave, he found his ownspoor and the spoor of the woman. Then working round with the objectof finding which of the three openings she had taken on leaving, hecame upon a calabash and a kaross made of goats'-skin. The calabash, from the smell, contained goats'-milk. Leaving the fire-stick tomark the spot to which he had carried his search, he went back toplace the kaross over the sleeping boy. Then taking another stickfrom the fire, he took up the spooring from the place he had leftoff, and crawled inch by inch, till he came to the first exit. Herehe saw his spoor entering together with the footprints of the woman, both very plain from the mud which had adhered to their feet. Thewoman, however, had not passed out. That, at any rate, was one pointsettled, and he went on with a feeling of distinct relief at thethought that there might be another way out than by the fearfultrack they had followed on entering. On nearing the second exit hepaused, startled by what seemed to him the sound of shrill voicesborne suddenly in a pause between the bellowing of the water-jetsin the neighbouring vault. When he listened he could, however, distinguish no sound in the mutterings and the boomings that washuman, and repressing a desire to cry out, he groped along up to thesecond exit. Here, however, there were no footprints. The surfacewas smooth rock, and he was passing on when something about the rockattracted his attention again. Leaving one of the sticks again toguide him on his return by its glowing end, he returned to the fire, rebuilt it, waited till it was fairly blazing, then with anotherglaring torch he ran to continue his search. He found what he hadhalf expected, that the rock had been polished by the passage ofmany feet, which had worn out quite a marked depression. He alsosatisfied himself that the woman had not passed out there, for asher feet had been wet she must have left some trace on the smoothsurface. There remained now the third and last exit, and as he edgedaway to the left, he saw that the beaten track also led in the samedirection. He rose and walked, feeling for the opening with hisright hand, and, coming to it, he was glad, but not surprised, tomake two discoveries, first, that the well-marked path entered theopening, and second, that the woman had also passed that way. Therewas the spoor of one foot clearly outlined in particles of moistdust. 

"That's good, " he muttered, standing up. "But I don't like the lookof that path. Means people. But what sort of people? And the karossand the goats'-milk. People again. No good taking risks. "

He went back to the fire, drew the sticks away, thrust the burningends into crevices, and left the comer in darkness once more. Thenhe sat down by Venning with his rifle across his knees and waited. He had no thought of moving a foot from the cave until Venning wasfit to move; he would let him have his sleep out, and if he was nobetter, well, then, he would carry him. So he sat waiting andwatching, listening to the hoarse rumblings which all the timeascended from below, and to the tremendous reports, a little dulledby the intervening wall, made by the spurting water. He watched thecoming of the night, marked the gradual fading of the sheen on thestalactites, until softly the shadows sank and merged into thedarkness of the cave, leaving nothing visible but a faint gleamwhere the nearest sulphur cone stood. 

Eerie it was in the dim light, eerier it was now in the dark, withthose hoarse mutterings from beneath, and those thunderousreverberations pealing at irregular intervals through the unknownspaces above. He had his pipe, but his habitual caution deterred himfrom seeking its comfort, and he was glad he had abstained, and gladat having extinguished the fire, when suddenly he heard the sound ofshrill laughter. A sullen roar from the water-hole beyond drownedthe sound, but he knew in every fibre that he had not been mistaken. There were others beside him and Venning in the vaults, but not fora moment was he pleased at the thought. Instinct or the associationof the place warned them of danger. For a long spell, however, hecould distinguish nothing human in the hurly-burly of sounds, andthen again, nearer and plainer, the shrill peal rang out exultant, with a note in it of some savage beast flinging back the news to thepack that the scent was hot. 

Slowly he stooped his head to hear if Venning slept, for he dreadedwhat would happen if the boy awoke in the pitchy darkness and heardthat demoniac cry. The boy's breathing came at regular intervals, and with a muttered prayer that he would sleep on, the Hunter feltfor the trigger. 

"Ngonyama!" From the height a voice calling to him dropped soft asthe flight of a bat, faint as a whisper, yet clear as a bell in allthat turmoil. 

He smiled grimly, but did not answer. This was some trick of thewoman. If she was friendly, why had she left them?

"Indhlovu! "--again it fell as from afar. 

He ran his hand over the bandolier, loosened the cartridges, and lethis fingers curl round the trigger again. 

A gust of wind blowing through some fissure shrieked amid theheights as if terrified at having wandered into such a prison, thenfor a long time the old sounds continued to make sport in the vaultsand tunnels without any interruption. 

Then Venning suddenly woke, and Mr. Hume was in a fever to keep theboy's mind occupied, and to get him asleep again. 

"Drink this, " he said, picking up the calabash, "and go to sleepagain. "

Venning took a long drink, "I dreamt I was by the sea, listening tothe waves. It was almost as good as being home again. "

"That's right. It's the sound of water. Go to sleep again and dreamof old England, the best medicine you could have. "

"I think I will, " said Venning; and, with a sigh, he pulled thekaross over him, being too tired out to wonder how it came there. 

"Sleep well, lad, sleep well;" and the big hand rested on the boy'sshoulder to comfort him with its touch, but the man's face wasturned with a straining expression towards the exit which he hadlast inspected, for it seemed to him that he had seen a streak oflight, such as would be thrown in advance by a torch. 

To his relief. Venning dropped off once more into a deep slumber, and he bent forward, alert in every fibre. He was not mistaken. There was a light over in the dark, not a light that sparkled, but agreenish glow, not unlike the eye of an animal as seen at night inthe reflection of a bull's-eye lantern. It moved, too, like the eyeof an animal, and presently other lights gathered around and at theback, giving off no radiance, not bright enough to throw up intorelief the objects that produced them, but watchful, like the eyesof a pack of wild-dogs regarding their prey. The Hunter tried anexperiment. Feeling for his great knife, he struck a stone, andwatched to see if there was any movement of surprise which wouldindicate that there were living creatures aware of his presence. There was no such movement. Like bits of dull green glass with alight behind, these mysterious points remained as they had been, moving gently as if to the action of respiration. He raised hisrifle, tempted to fire under the feeling of nervous suspense thattried his iron nerves, but lowered it at once, with a glance down atthe dark form at his side. He would wait; and he sat watching thethings, whatever they were, that seemed to be watching him with suchcold and silent intentness. Then he made out that they were notanimals. The eyes of animals blink, and these did not. Moreover, any animal, however fierce, would turn its eyes away at times; butthese remained staring. What were they? He had seen fungus glow likethat in the forest, but never so many together. And then he strainedhis ears to gather from any sound an inkling of their nature, but, beyond the bellowings and the sullen roar, he could hear nothing. How long could he stand the suspense? Already he felt a strongimpulse to jump up, to shout, to break up that fixed regard, to cometo the death-grapple, if need be, rather than sit there in doubt. The minutes slipped by slowly; each slowly spun its time out, as ifevery minute were an hour, each hour a week, and the moisturegathered on his brow, when at last the tension was broken. 

"Sisters, I smell smoke!"

"Thank God, " was the man's thought, "they are living. " The suspensefell from him. He pulled himself together, and was ready foranything. 

"Smoke!" The voice reached him in sharp shrill accents that piercedthe continual growling of the waters. "Who is here?"

"Ngonyama!" was the reply uttered by several. 

"He is terrible, sisters. Hear the thunder of his voice. Let us fly, lest he tear us. " And the speaker laughed. 

"That is not his voice! He is afraid; he crouches like the pantherin the trap, trembling. His strength has gone from him. "

"I heard a lion was in the plains, and the cows ran together in acluster, for they were afraid. "

A shrill laughter was the response, but the dull lights remainedwhere they were, and again there was a long spell of silence, as faras the voices were concerned. Then the lights went out. The Hunterstooped forward, listening, but he could hear no footfall. He putthe gun down, and grasped the knife in his right hand, for he coulduse it with better effect in a sudden assault. 

"I smell meat!"

The voice came now from another quarter, and then the lights shoneout one after another. 

"What meat is this, sister?"

"Indhlovu. "

"Wow! There are fat pickings on the bones of the great one; but heis powerful. I hear his trumpeting. "

"Haw! it is the voice of the unseen, mother. Indhlovu has falleninto the pit that was set for him. His power has gone. "

Again the voices ceased, again the strange lights were dimmed; butthe Hunter was ready, for he knew now they were quartering the cavein search of him. He had no fear, only a feeling of intense disgust, coupled with a determination to scare the lives out of these ghouls, if they ventured on an attack. By-and-by he beard faint rustlings, and then breathings; but it was impossible to see, and he satperfectly still. Then the voices broke out again at another point. 

"He is here, my sisters. "

"Wow! We are hungry; let us eat. We are thirsty; let us drink. "

"Sisters, terrible is the power in the arm of Indhlovu. He strikes, and lo! as a falling tree sweeps a passage through the forest, sowould he sweep us away. Let him weaken; let hunger fasten on hisvitals, and fear trouble his brain. "

"We are wolves; we would tear him down in his strength, while hisblood is red. "

"Terrible is the trunk of Indhlovu, and terrible is the arm ofNgonyama. In his hand is a broad knife, and with one stroke will hesplit a head. Let the darkness hold him. "

"We hunger, and he will go. The wizard will claim him for his own;the dark waters will drag him down. Give him to us. "

"He watches over his cub, and who so fierce as the lion who protectshis young? The cub will sicken. The sound of the waters will troublehis brain; his spirit will fly before the terror of the darkness. Wait, my sisters, till his cub be dead. "

"Demons!" cried the Hunter, his patience gone in a storm of fury. "Away!" He sprang forward with a roar, and his knife, whistlingthrough the air, fell upon the gleaming cone, and struck from itsparks of fire. 

With cries of fear the women--if women they were--fled, their lightsshowing again from the second exit, where was the beaten footway, and then out of the dark tunnel came a peal of fiendish laughter. Then silence, or, rather, a relief from the mocking voices; butthere was a reminder of their presence in one of those pale greenishlights. He strode towards it, saw it had been dropped, picked it up, and found that it came from some substance held in a bag of opennetwork. With a short laugh he saw it was fungus, a discovery thattook all the mystery out of the recent performance, and since itappeared that the only thing formidable about his persecutors wastheir trickery in making the most of the terrors of the dark, heremade the fire, for there was no mistaking the chillness of theair. As he thought over the fantastic doings of the visitors, helaughed again, and presently feeling the warmth of the fire, heyawned and closed his eyes. 

"Only a parcel of women, " he muttered, and was asleep. 

And as he slept, believing there was no danger, the shadows closedin as the fire dwindled--closed in, taking queer shapes. Across thesmooth, gleaming surface of the cone these shadows came, likestooping forms, with long lean arms. There were whisperings, too, "clicks" made by the tongue, and Venning, opening his eyes, suddenlyheard these sounds at once, notwithstanding the walls of the caverntrembled to the hollow thunder of the waters. His eyes fell uponsomething beyond-the fire. He did not move, or cry out, or wonderwhere he was; his mind was focussed like his wide-opened eyes onthat object. It was like a face, and yet he could not make outwhether it was the face of man, or bird, or beast, or reptile. Oneglance at the thing by any one else would have been more thanenough, so terrible it was; but Venning's overpowering curiosity asa naturalist mercifully blotter-put the horror. He was trying toidentify it, and made mental notes such as these:--

"Forehead low, receding; brows contracted; eyes small, deep-set, venomous; lower part of face banded black, and undecipherable; necklong, skinny, vulture-like; rest of body not visible. "

"Snake, or wild-cat, " he said. 

"Eh?" said Mr. Hume, waking at once. 

There was a ring of metal, a sudden babel of fierce cries, the flashof a rifle-shot, and the clap of the report, followed by shrieks. 

"It's all right, lad, " shouted Mr. Hume, as Venning straggled torise; "keep down. "

There was a sharp hissing. Something struck the rock above theHunter as he was stooping over Venning, and fell down into the fire. It was a barbed arrow. He fired again, scattered the fire with akick, and crouched over the boy. Several arrows rang viciouslyagainst the rock. He felt for Venning's carbine, swung it round withone hand, and emptied the magazine, firing at different points. Withyells of disappointment, rage, and fear, the creatures of the nightfled once more. 

"Are you all right, my boy?"

"Yes; but what does it mean? What were they? I thought the thing wasa snake. "

"What did you see?"

"Something staring out of the shadows. I could not make out what itwas, and as you awoke it seemed to jump forward and strike. "

"Ay, the blow fell on my belt. Thank God, you warned me; but it wasmy fault. I should have kept awake. They're only women, lad. Don'tlet any fancies come into your head. "

Venning sniffed. "Smell anything? Seems to me like sulphur. "

"It's the gunpowder fumes, hanging low. "

Venning sat up. "What is that booming noise?"

"The sound of falling water. "

The boy was silent for some time, while the Hunter reloaded thecarbine and his Express. 

"So---we are still down below. "

"But I know the way out, and as soon as it is daylight we'll getback into the valley. Have no fears. "

Venning's hand went out to feel for his companion. "I must havegiven you a lot of trouble. You've got your coat off. "

"I didn't want it, and it came in handy as a pillow. "

"Put it on, " said Venning, "and give me my gun. "

Mr. Hume laughed cheerily. "Feeling yourself again--eh? Well, that'sgood. And now we'll put an end to this nonsense. "

"I certainly smell sulphur, " said Venning; "and what is that bluestreak there?" He took a step towards the smooth cone. "It issulphur!" he cried. "See, it's burning. "

Mr. Hume stepped to his side, and saw the unmistakable blue flamegiven off by burning sulphur, while a whiff of the fumes made himchoke. 

"You're right; it's a mass of sulphur. The burning wad front thecartridge must have set it alight. " He sliced off the burning patchwith his knife. "We don't want to be fumigated, or to die ofsuffocation. Now, if you feel strong enough, we'll explore thecave. "

"Is it safe? I mean, are there any chasms?"

"Smooth as a floor. Keep close by me. "

They examined the cavern carefully by means of the strange lanternfilled with fungus, and Mr. Hume halted by the second exit. 

"This is where they enter, " he said, "and I think our best plan willbe to build a fire in the mouth. We should then have the advantageover them, as we should see them once they came into thereflection. "

They set about collecting wood, when Venning had a thought. 

"Which way does the draught set in the tunnel--away from the cavernor into it?"

"Why?"

"Because, if the current of air blows away from us, we can easilykeep them out. "

"It blows from the cave into the tunnel. I found that out before. "

"Then we have got them, whoever they are. Make the fire in thepassage, pile up blocks of this sulphur on the inner side, and thewind will carry the fumes down into the tunnel. "

"A splendid plan, " said Mr. Hume; and very soon it was carded out, acouple of shots being fired into the dark passage as a warning tothe enemy to keep off. As the flames caught the sulphur, a thicksmoke rolled away. "That will stop them; and now we can wait inpeace till the morning. "

The rest of the night passed for them in peace as far as theirassailants were concerned, but the chilling damp of the vaults gotinto their bones, and Venning was pinched and shivering when thefirst ray of sunshine struck slanting down through the mist-ladenatmosphere, bringing with it a message of hope from the bright outerworld. 

CHAPTER XXIII

THROUGH THE VAULTS

They shared the goats'-milk remaining in the calabash, and at onceentered the first exit, that was to lead them, as they ardentlyhoped, into the warmth and light of the day. Venning went first, carrying only the strange lantern, and Mr. Hume a foot behind, readyto support the boy with a helping hand if he were again overcome bydizziness. Their progress was slow, owing to the dark, but the goingwas easy enough with a gradual ascent. What pleased them very muchwas the dwindling of the hubbub made by the waters--a sign that theywere going away from that source of danger. In silence and indarkness they kept on up to a point where the walls widened out, andwhere there was a familiar hut-like smell, necessitating a pause forinvestigation. Mr. Hume struck a match--for the fungus-lamp shed noray--and holding it up, disclosed a slab of rock with a pile ofwhite ash on it. Blowing upon this, he started a glow from the stilllive embers beneath, and placing on a few half-burnt sticks, soonmade a fire. By its light they saw a couple of rush-mats, such asthe natives make, on the floor, and these, added to the fire, made ablaze which lit up a cavern bearing evidence of frequent use; forthere were other mats on a ledge, together with several calabashes, and an earthen pot of native make. Seeing where the passagecontinued, they hurried on, for these human belongings reminded themforcibly of the existence of beings they had no wish to meet inthose dark passages. 

"How do you account for people living down here?" asked Venning. 

"They may be outcasts from the village, afflicted either by diseaseor madness, or they may be members of some dark superstition. "

"Ugh! I wonder if the Inkosikasi has any connection with them?"

"I rather think so, and when we get out we will have a word withher. "

"When we get out! But it will be fine to see old Dick again, and tosee the birds and insects on the move in the sun. Halloa! the pathturns again--bends to the left. "

"Keep on slowly. "

As they went the noise of waters again reached them, growing involume; and when the path turned abruptly to the right, they lookedout through a small opening on billows of mist that rolled upwardsout of sight. 

"Seem to have reached a spot above last night's resting-place. "

The wall on their left was very thin, and shook to each report; butpresently the passage made a bend to the right, which took them awayonce more from the mist-laden vault, and then, through a narrowdoorway, opened into one of the best-lighted caverns they had yetentered. The light which streamed in from the wall beyond was verywelcome to them, but the taste of earth in the air blowing throughthe crack was better. The first thing they did was to run across tothe crack and look out. 

"The river--and the valley!" cried Venning. 

Below them was the green of the valley bathed in sunshine, the riverglittering like silver, and the scene like a glimpse of Paradiseafter the gloom of their vast prison. 

"There goes the eagle we saw when we first arrived, and right awayyonder I can see a flock of goats among the rocks. "

"Perhaps we could get through and climb down. " Mr. Hume thrust anarm through, and spread his fingers to the wind. "We are on thesouth-west side of the cliff, nearly overlooking the entrance to thecanon. "

"It is very steep there. We should want a rope--and a long rope, too. "

"Yes, I am afraid we must keep on; but, at any rate, it is a comfortto know where we are. "

They stepped back and turned to examine the cavern. The floor wasdry, the roof high, and it would have made a good room. And a roomin occupation it was; for, now they took stock of it, there weresigns of the occupants everywhere--a stack of wood in one corner, several karosses rolled up, sleeping-mats, cooking-pots, woodenspoons, a bundle of reeds for arrow-making, and a half-shaped bow, and other odds and ends. But what fixed their attention were anumber of white objects on a ledge. 

"Look like ostrich eggs, " said Venning, reaching up "No, they'renot. Skulls--Ethiopian. "

"Pah! Drop it, " said Mr. Hume. 

"Why?" said Venning, who had no qualms in these matters. "You cansee it is Ethiopian from the receding forehead, the high cheek-bones, the heavy under-jaw and strong teeth. No white man ever hasteeth like that. "

"Drop it, " said Mr. Hume, sternly. 

"But why?"

"Look at this. " Mr. Hume pointed to a square block in the centre of, the room--a block all stained with dark streaks that came from abasin in the centre. Venning approached it. "Blood--perhaps asacrificial stone. "

"And this, " said Mr. Hume, pointing to a bone projecting from one ofthe pots. "They are man-eaters. "

Venning put down the skull and looked with a white face at hiscompanion. 

"Cannibals! That is why they tried to kill us last night. "

The Hunter nodded his head. "I did not want to tell you, but I couldnot stand a lecture on skulls. "

"Let us go. "

"First let us take a couple of these mats. Cut up, they would serveas torches at a pinch. " He tied one on Venning's back and one on hisown. "Forward!"

When they wished to proceed, however, they could not find thecontinuation of the passage, and, to their dismay, it seemed as ifthey would have to retrace their steps in search for another wayout, when behind a hanging mat in the left-hand corner they found anarrow opening. It was not inviting, but they were glad of any paththat led away from that evil place, and away also from the lowerdepths. So, though the way became more and more difficult as theyadvanced, they continued to press on, now up, now down, at anotherplace going on their hands and knees, and further on having towriggle between cracks which sorely nipped the Hunter as he forcedhis heavy frame through. And in the end they came out on the vergeof the vast vault, which appeared to fill so much of the spacebelow; emerged on a wind-swept platform, with a sudden din after thequiet of the tortuous passage as of demons shrieking through theair. 

Here Venning gave up. He had been now over twenty-four hoursunderground without one good meal, except the drain of goats'-milk, and after the shock of the previous afternoon, when he hung in mid-air, the disappointment at coming upon another forbidding pit wastoo much for him. He crouched back against the rock, and sat down. 

Mr. Hume spread the mat under the boy, wrapped the kaross over him, and made him comfortable as could be, and then he looked anxiouslyabout. Little comfort did he gain. They had evidently pursued afalse trail, and the platform was the end, standing sheer on theedge of that very vaulted space, down which, far down, the jets ofwater shot out through the blow-holes. Their windings had broughtthem, after all, to an impasse, and the only retreat was through thechamber of the skulls, where perhaps the savage beings of theunderground vault were already collected. Looking over and down, hecould see the jets of water shooting out to fall in a mantle ofspray, on which the arrow-like shafts of sunlight sparkled iniridescent hues, and through the spray he could see the white watersof the cataract. Above his head there was a jutting rock, which shutout the wall immediately above, but outside the rock he saw the roofof the vault, gaunt ribs of rock pierced at intervals by fissures, through which shone the blue of the sky. Turning to Venning, he sawthat the boy's eyes were fixed on those openings with a longing inhis look that wrung the man's heart. 

Clearly there were only two courses open. They must either go backby the path they had entered by--making up their minds to cross thatdizzy ledge in the darkness--or he would have to leave the boysomewhere while he went for help. He gave up the latter alternativeat once, and set his mind on the first. 

"We will rest for an hour, " he said. "Then we will go down. "

"To look for another way?" asked the boy, wearily. 

"Or to follow the track we entered by. "

"I couldn't, " whispered the boy. 

"Then we will try another passage--the one 'they' went down by. Ofcourse"--and the Hunter's voice gained in cheeriness--"that is ourplan, and if we hurry we shall be outside in no time. "

"Very well, " said the boy, jumping up with a sudden flush in hischeeks, showing a return of feverishness. 

"Rest awhile, lad; it is morning yet. See how the sun's rays slanttowards the west. At noon they will be vertical, and then we shallhave the whole afternoon. "

They sat down with their eyes turned up to the specks of blue, andwatched the sun-shafts dip from the west towards the centre tillthey poured their white light straight down. Then they started forthe long downward track, Mr. Hume this time leading the way with hisrifle ready. 

When they came again to the cavern of the skulls, the Hunter pausedbefore pushing the mat aside. For some seconds he stood listening;then, cautious still, with the point of his knife he forced apart acouple of the rush strands and peeped through. The place seemed asit had been, and he was about to step in when he remembered thatVenning had placed the skull on the block of stone. There was theblock, but there was no skull upon it. Standing back, he whisperedto Venning to keep where he was; then, with his rifle ready, hequietly moved the mat aside. 

There was a howl, as some creature, squatting on the floor, turned alined and hideous face towards the corner, and then scuttled out ofview. Mr. Hume leapt to the floor, and ran to seize the creature whohad taken refuge under a hanging mat. His hand, however, met with noresistance, and, brushing the mat aside, he saw an opening leadingdown. 

"It went down there, " he said, as Venning, showing a startled faceat the opening, called out to know what had happened. 

Venning jumped down, and looked into the new outlet. "Let usfollow, " he said eagerly. 

Mr. Hume shook his head. "We know one has gone. There are probablyothers; and we don't know that it would lead us out. The other waywould. "

"It makes me ill to think of the other way, " said Venning, vehemently. 

"It looks like a rabbit-hole. "

"I'll go first. "

"It may mean another night, if it takes up much time. "

"I'm sure it's right, " persisted the boy. 

"Very well, here goes;" and the Hunter submitted against hisjudgment, because he feared beyond anything the breakdown of theboy's nerves. 

He was obliged to slide down this black opening, and when he found afooting in a dark, cellar-like place, he at once struck a matchunder the belief that he stood in a mere pit and nothing else, but apuff of wind blew the match out. 

"Come along; there is an opening. "

The opening they found, and, as they entered it, they heard ashuffling noise behind. 

"It's that hag gone up into the room, " cried the Hunter, "and she'llgive the alarm. We must go after her. "

Venning, however, pushed on. "This is the way, " he said wildly; andMr. Hume could do no less than follow, frowning as he went. 

But it did seem that the boy was right. The little black hole of apassage suddenly opened out into light that almost blinded them byits brilliancy. It was a broad track. On the right was the wall ofthe cliff pierced with little holes, through which they looked downagain on the canon itself, the opposite walls seeming very near. 

"Wasn't I right?" asked Venning, with an excited laugh. "We can't bevery far above. I fancy I can hear the river. "

"Well, there is this about it, if the worst comes, and we can't finda way out, we can signal from one of these holes to people in thevalley. "

"And Dick would find a way to rescue us--Dick and Muata. Hurrah!Then we won't have to go down into that awful darkness. "

"No; but we may as well see where this leads to. "

They had to skirt a Y-shaped fall in the track, and thisaccomplished, their course, after many windings, terminated at atotally unexpected spot, no less than a point high up the face ofthe cliff rising sheer up from the Deadman's Pool. They stepped outfrom the passage into broad day, and raised their hats to let thewind blow upon them, but they found that they were as far off fromescape as before. Below, the cliff sank hundreds of feet; above, itrose like a wall without foothold; but they were thankful for thesunlight, for the far view over the dark forest, for the privilegeto look once more on the unruffled sky. Now that they were in thelight, they could take stock of each other, and found it in theirhearts to start a feeble laugh at the covering of mud, smoke, andgreen mould that almost disguised their identity. 

But it was a comfort to stretch their aching limbs in the sun, totake the pure air into their lungs, to look restfully away over thetrees that marched unbroken to the uttermost horizon. They dozedunder the influence of the sunlight, blinking their eyes like cats, and when Mr. Hume stirred at last, the sun was slipping down thewestern slope. 

"We must be going, " he said, looking down. 

"I suppose so, " said Venning, wearily. 

"There's something astir down there. Men are moving up the slopetowards the gorge--and, by George, they are Hassan's men too!"

Venning stood up, and looked down upon a file of little figuresbreasting the slope. 

"Good thing I had that wall built. Dick will be having his handsfull. Come along; we may get out in time yet to take a share in thefight, for his sake. "

Venning remained staring down, with a look in his face that broughtthe Hunter back. 

"What do you see?"

"Of all the idiots, " said the boy--"of all the miserable, shortsighted, thick-headed, addle-pated duffers and asses we are theworst! We took pains to find a way into a fiendish maze of tunnels, pits, and caverns, occupied by vampires and enveloped in darkness, in search of a thing that was never there. "

"As what?"

"Look there!" and the boy pointed down. "There's our boat--downthere, out in the broad daylight. "

"You're mistaken, lad. "

"There--straight down--in that patch of reeds on the right of thepool. "

"That's her, right enough, " said Mr. Hume, excitedly. 

"And to think we've been wandering about in fear of our lives on afalse scent. "

"It makes me feel bad; but the mistake has been made, and now we'vegot to get out, and get out in time to help Dick. "

"Oh, Dick's all right, " said Venning, crossly. "He's got plenty toeat, and a warm bed. "

"Chew this;" and the Hunter handed his last bit of biltong. 

Venning took it, and followed on into the passage, chewing andgrowling over their folly. 

"We will laugh over our troubles, " said the Hunter, patiently, "whenwe get out. "

"When we get out! I don't believe there is a way out. Anyhow, I amnot going a step further beyond the place where we found theloopholes. "

Mr. Hume made no reply. 

"I have been thinking over it, " Venning went on. 

"The place cant be very high above the level of the ground outside. We could easily attract attention by filing a shot out. Then wewould make a rope out of the rushes in these mats, lower it with abit of stone at the end, on which we could write directions to Dickwith a bit of burnt stick, to hitch on a rope. We would haul in therope, make it fast, and then shin down. "

"But suppose Dick is busy beating off the attack of Hassan's men?"

"Then we'll wait. I'm not going further--not a foot. If you like, sir, you can go, but I will stay. I am not going down into thosehorrible caves. " His voice rose to a shout. 

"All right, " said the Hunter, soothingly. "In any case, I am afraidwe have left it too late. "

"Late or early, I'll not go on. "

When they did reach the loopholes, they found on looking out thatthe valley on that side was already in the shadow. 

"We will stay, then, " said Mr. Hume. "Let me unstrap the mat fromyour shoulders. "

Venning had already sat down with a dogged look in his face, and Mr. Hume had to lift him up to loosen the mat. The boy--there was nodisguising the matter any farther--was ill, and it would clearly bedangerous to excite him by opposition. 

After making the boy comfortable, Mr. Hume sat smoking his pipe, thefirst time for many hours, in lieu of food. He himself was feelingthe effect of the long period of anxiety, for he had scarcely eatena mouthful, beyond his drink of milk, as he had given his littlestore to his young friend, who was in more need of it. But it wasnot of himself he thought. He had a new anxiety about Dick, andbitterly blamed himself for having so blindly followed the womaninto this horrible place, that was one succession of death-traps. 

"I'm very thirsty, " muttered the boy. 

Mr. Home leaned over him. "Keep quiet, " he said, "and I'll bring yousome water. "

Taking only his Ghoorka knife and his match-box, the Hunter went onto the Cave of Skulls. Luckily for the denizens of that ominousplace, none of them were there to bar his entrance, for he was in agrim mood, so making a bonfire of some of the mats, he looked about. One calabash contained water, and this he carried back, togetherwith something equally precious--a bunch of bananas that were blackwith smoke, yet fit to eat by any one who was very hungry or did notsee them. The boy was sitting up waiting with burning eyes. 

"You were so long, " he muttered. 

"But I won't go away again, old chap. I've brought you quite afeast. "

Venning took a long drink, ate the bananas, and fell back on hispillow, while the Hunter resumed his seat to watch through anothernight. It seemed as if they were to be left in peace. Since thatsolitary, withered, and scared creature dived out of the cave theyhad seen no one. But still he sat on guard as the hours slippedslowly by, and then there came a surprising thing. 

Just the tinkle made by a drop of water falling into a pool!

It came at regular intervals, incessant, musical, and he began tocount it, wondering at the height it fell, and marvelling at thenoise it made. 

And then he leapt to his feet, and stood a moment in breathlessamazement. A single drop of water to be heard above all thatmultitudinous clamour! What did it mean? It meant a silence soprofound that from the black depth of the yawning cavity the tinytinkle could reach him. It meant that the roaring torrent wasstilled!

CHAPTER XXIV

LETTING IN THE RIVER

The river was no longer thundering through the underground passage, and as the sudden silence following the stopping of engines on apassenger steamer will awaken every sleeper even more quickly thanthe roaring of a gale, so this lull in the tremendous din arousedVenning. 

"What is the matter?" he asked, starting up. 

"The river has stopped. "

They sat straining their ears for the swift roar of the waters, butout of the slumbering depths below there came only the regularsplash and tinkle of the falling drops. 

"I don't understand it, " muttered the Hunter. 

"I do, " said Venning, with a shout. "Hassan has blocked up the mouthof the canon. "

"Nonsense, boy; how could he?"

"Look out of the loophole. "

Mr. Hume put his face to the hole. "The water has risen, I think, from the noise. "

"You remember what Muata said about the drowning of the valley?Well, that is what is happening. The Arab has blocked the mouth byblasting a mass of rock which overhung the river. That's what!"

They pondered over this new phase. 

"If we had food, this would be the safest place, after all, then. "

"Food, Dick, and a way out. "

"Dick, of course. Anyhow, sir, it is a relief to have silence; thenoise made my head throb so, I did not know what I was doing. "

Before, they had to shout into each other's ears, now they spoke inlow tones, but even so the echoes seemed to people the dark withwhispers, and they desisted from talk. In the silence they heardpresently the swirl and lapping of waters out in the canon, then thesound of men talking, and, what was strange, a noise as of paddles, These outside sounds were muffled and indistinct, but as the nightwent on they heard a laugh ring out from below, loud and shrill, followed by a confused murmuring, which quickly gained distinctnessin the form of a wild chant. The denizens of the underground worldwere on the move. Looking down over the parapet they saw a spurt offlame, and as the fire made for itself a ring of red light far downin the dark, they could make out dimly the forms of people sittinground in a circle. Then the smell of smoke reached them, and, afteran interval, the strong odour of burning flesh. 

"Go to sleep, lad, " said Mr. Hume; "they will not disturb us. Theyhave other prey, found, perhaps, on the scene of the fight in thegorge. "

Venning shuddered, and sought his mat, while the Hunter continued tolook down on the unholy feast in the bowels of the earth, with anitch to send a bullet smashing into the midst of the circle. 

"Come and rest, " said Venning. "Don't you ever feel tired?"

"Tired enough, lad; but I don't like this news about the riverrising;" and ha went to the loophole. 

"We're safe enough, sir--safe enough for to-night. There are sixmiles at the back of the dam, and it would take a lot of water torise a foot an hour in the canon, and we are more than thirty feetabove the normal level, I dare say. Do rest. "

Mr. Hume sat down, and closed his eyes, but when he heard theregular breathing of the tired boy, he was up again. It was thethought of Dick that filled him with sleepless anxiety, and he leanton the parapet, fuming over plans in his mind with wearyingreiteration. He was staring straight before him, when a lightappeared on his own level, accompanied by the ring of metal on rock. Instinctively his rifle was levelled, and, with his finger on thetrigger, he sighted a foot below the light, which was now quitestationary, but, obedient to a sudden overmastering impulse, he asquickly lowered the rifle. 

A moment the light remained fixed; then it was raised, lowered, andmoved from side to side as if the holder were examining the ground;then it advanced. 

"Stop!" thundered Mr. Hume. "Stand back. There is a chasm at yourfeet. "

He had suddenly remembered the platform on which he and Venning hademerged on their first attempt after leaving the Cave of Skulls, andsomehow he felt that the person who held that light had strayed tothat very place in ignorance. 

He heard a startled exclamation, saw the light fall from theperson's band, and marked its swift descent, before the flame wasextinguished by the rush of air; then it was his turn to fall back. 

"Who are you?"

"It's Dick, " shouted Venning, with a sob in his voice. 

"Dick, " muttered the Hunter, cold to the heart at the thought of thefalling light. 

"Hurrah!" There was no mistaking that shout. "Where are you? How canI get to you?"

"For God's sake, don't move!" cried the Hunter, in a shaken voice. "Stay where you are. We'll join you. "

From below there came a shrill clamour, but the Hunter, neverpausing to give the creatures a thought, lifted Venning in his armsand felt his way to the cave, clambered up through the hole, foundthe other exit hidden by the mat, and crept down the broken passagebeyond. In a turn of the passage they saw Compton's face peering outunder a lighted candle, the one visible object in the darkness, setin a strained expression, in which were blended joy, anxiety, andwonder. 

They gripped hands in silence, then--

"We've found the boat, " said Venning. 

"What is that noise down below?" asked Dick. 

"Have you got any food?" This from Mr. Hume. 

"A sackful. "

"Then let us eat first of all. "

They sat down there and then and ate, and when they had eaten theywere silent, because the creatures below were silent too, and Mr. Hume knew that then they were dangerous. He went back to standbehind the mat knife in hand, ready to attack, for now that he hadgot his two boys back, he said to himself grimly that he would standno nonsense. Back in that dark passage Dick sat with his friend'shead on his shoulder, and one limp hand grasped in his, marvellingmuch at the mystery of the place and at the providential meeting. Hehad cause to wonder how Venning had borne the horrors of theunderground as well as he had, for towards the morning it seemed asif those ghouls of darkness vied with each other in producing themost appalling shrieks, howls, and bursts of mirthless laughter. They played ventriloquial tricks in the passages and caverns, makingthe sounds come from different points after varying intervals ofsilence; and all the time, as could be gathered from occasionalwords in the incoherent gabble, uttering threats against the whitemen. 

Then, at the very break of dawn, after a couple of hours of silence, the plot they had formed was put into shape. 

"Ngonyama!"

Mr. Hume stepped out on to the platform. "Who calls?"

"It is I, the Inkosikase. "

She was standing at the very parapet where he himself had leant whenhe saw the light borne by Dick on the spot where he now stood. Shestood up boldly on the canon side of the great cavity, about fiftyyards away. 

"Your life was forfeit, Ngonyama, but I spared you--I spared you. "

"I hear. "

"You are but a mouse in these earth runs, Indhlovu. "

The Hunter laughed, and the unseen creatures took up the laugh, flinging it back till the hollow places rang with the wild noise. 

"Hear, and take heed. Take heed lest they fall on you. Wow! Ye haveseen my power and the strength of my medicine in the stilling of thewaters. "

"It was Hassan who stilled the waters. Say on. "

"Yoh!" The woman paused, taken aback. "See, my medicine tells me youcame here to search for the shining canoe. Maybe I can tell youwhere it is hid by the wizards. "

"I know, wise woman. Say on. "

"Wow! But, " she said triumphantly, "ye do not know the way out, andye are helpless till I tell you. "

"I know. "

"Then why do you stay here?"

"Enough! I know the way out. What is your message to me?"

His confidence staggered her, and it was some moments before shecould speak. 

"But there is the young chief. Ye would save him. I will make abargain with you for his life. "

"He is here, woman. "

Dick stepped out from the shadows, and she threw up her arms with awail. 

"Say what you have to say, " said Mr. Hume, sternly, "for I see youwould have some service of me, and had hoped to buy me with news Ihave no want for. "

"Ngonyama, great white one, I am but a woman, and ye are too strongfor me. "

Mr. Hume nodded. 

"I am a woman; only a woman. "

"Was it a woman's task to set those ravens upon me and the youngchief?"

"I am a mother, Indhlovu, and a mother's heart is strong for herchild. I feared you because of my son. You were strong, and hetrusted you. He was away, and you were left to do as you wished--totake his place, to destroy him. It is the way of men to use powerfor themselves. "

"It is not my way. "

"O great white one, give me counsel. The Arab thief has trulystopped the river, and the waters rise in the valley--rise among thegardens; and when Muata returns he will see water where there wasgrass. "

"Ay, Muata will ask how this thing happened. And they will answer, because a woman interfered with his plans. The son will know that itwas his mother who brought this evil on the place because shethought she could do better than Ngonyama. "

"It is true; it is true, " she wailed, beating her breast. "So tellme, great one, how this evil may be put right, but it must be donequickly, for the Arab has brought canoes up, and his men are in thevalley ready to seize the women and children. "

This was startling news indeed. "Canoes in the valley?"

"In the valley itself; and our men are scattered here and there onthe ridges at the mercy of these wolves, though they fight hard. Ngonyama, tell me!"

"There is only one thing to do, " said Venning, joining in. 

"I listen, " she cried, leaning forward. "Quick, wise one. You whoplayed with the little ones at the huts, you who talk to the ants, tell me. "

"The one thing to do is to let the water in. "

"Ye mock me, " she cried fiercely. 

"Let in the water, and the canoes will be dashed to pieces; thewomen and the little ones saved. " "But how can this be done?"

"You know this place and the secrets of it. Those holes behind youthat look out on the valley were made by hands. Is there no placewhere the wall is thin?"

The woman lifted up her hands and shouted a cry of exultation, thenshe ran swiftly, and they saw her presently standing above the V-shaped wedge in the wall, a deep scar in the cliff made by the fallof a portion of the rock. With wonderful agility she climbed down tothe apex and set to work on the face of the rock with a kind ofmaniacal fury. When she climbed out to the top they saw she haddrawn a square, with a mark at each corner plainly visible. 

"Ngonyama, for the sake of the little ones and the women, for yourown sakes, if ye wish to live, send a bullet to each mark. "

"By Jove!" said Venning, "that's a good notion. The rock must bethin there, and the force of the bullet should crack it. "

"Quick, white one. I can hear the death-song of our warriors. Quick, if ye would see the sun again. "

Mr. Hume raised his Express. He saw the need as well as she forswift measures, and he planted each smashing shot on the littlewhite mark at each corner of the square. 

The square was starred with cracks from side to side, and before theechoes of the reports had ceased to roll and rumble through thevaults, there was a dark stain on the rock. 

The water was coming through, but the woman, in her mad impatience, could not bear the delay. Clambering down, she worked feverishly atthe cracks with a spear-head, and with a sharp hiss a stream ofwater like steam shot out. 

"Climb up, " roared Mr. Hume. 

"Another thrust, Indhlovu, and a woman will have won. One blow forthe sake of my child--the chief. " Her long sinewy arm flew back, andshe drove the spear-head into the crack. 

Then came a tremendous report. The block of loosened stone flew outas if propelled from a big gun, whizzed far out, and after it, witha deafening roar, flashed a white column, that widened as it leaptforward. Spreading his arms, the Hunter threw himself back, bearinghis companions with him, as a mass of water struck the platform onwhich they had stood. As the flood poured through the opening, tearing and screaming like a thousand furies, other fragments ofrock were torn out and sent whirling down, to increase the terribledin rising up from the cauldron below, where the waters once againrushed and boiled through the dark tunnels, after their terrificleap. The whole upper space of the great vault was filled with amist, which condensed and fell in a fine rain upon the threecrouching figures, deafened by the uproar, and expecting everymoment to be involved in one complete break-up of the interior wallsunder the smashing blows of the flood. As they crawled back into thepassage for safety, some solid object crashed against the rock nearthem, and the broken blade of a canoe paddle shot past them into thepassage. 

It was sign of the terrible fate that must have overtaken those ofHassan's men who had entered the valley by canoe. It served as aspur to urge them to escape. 

They crept into the Cave of Skulls, and there finding some relieffrom the uproar, Mr. Hume asked Compton if he knew the way out. Compton nodded, lit the last of his candles, and, guided by marks hehad made on the wall, led the way out and down to a spot where hepointed to a hole several feet above the ground. They passed throughthat, and after a long and wearying march--during the last part ofwhich the Hunter again carried Venning--they crawled out into theold cave, and through that on to the ledge overlooking the valley. 

A glance took in the position. Muata's people were gathered on thetableland where stood the new village, watching the sinking of theriver, as unaccountable to them as had been the swift rising in thenight that had cut them off and marked them out as easy victims tothe men in the canoes, which Hassan, in his great cunning, hadbrought up to complete his plan for the complete destruction of thecommunity. Of Hassan's men, and the canoes, carried up through theforest with so much labour, there was no trace. Men and canoes musthave been sucked into the canon, dashed to pieces, and swept downinto the dark, probably to emerge in the Deadman's Pool. 

Mr. Hume gave a hail to the people below. "Bayate!" they shouted, recognizing him. Some of the men swam across and came up. 

They made a humble salute to the white men. "Great ones, the peopleare afraid. The earth shook and the water arose, and out of the darkcame men in canoes. We were afraid. It was witchcraft. Again theearth shook, the waters sank, and the canoes were swept away. "

"Say to the women they may go about their work in peace, for thewhite chiefs keep watch, and all is well. And say to the headman tosend up food, fruit, milk, and the flesh of a kid. "

These orders were promptly obeyed, and the three were soon busy at agood meal, that put life and strength into them, so that when theyfeasted their eyes upon the wonderful beauty of-the garden-valley, the horrors of the underground world swiftly faded into thebackground, phantoms of reality. 

And while they rested in the afternoon, Muata came out of the gorgechanting his song of triumph at the head of the picked warriors whohad gone down into the forest to hang on the trail of the wild men. 

His song died away as his eye fell upon the still swollen river, onthe sheen of pools gathered where the ground was flat, on the banksof debris showing the highwater mark far up the little side valleys. 

"Greeting, Ngonyama!"

"And to you, chief. "

"My brothers have not slept. " The young chief's eagle-glance dweltswiftly on the three friends. "They have looked on great trouble. "

"You have come from victory, chief; your men are fresh. "

"Ohe! they are fresh, for the fight was short. "

"Then send some of them up the cliff on the other side, so that theymay overlook the place where the river goes under. "

Muata looked down into the valley again, and asked the questionwhich he had been burning to ask all the time, but could not forfear of showing anxiety. 

"So Hassan has tried to drown out the valley?"

"The river rose and the river fell! While he sent some men to attackthe gorge, he found the river-gate unguarded, and seized it, blockedthe course of the river with a great rock loosened from above, andthen, as the water rose, lowered canoes on the inside, and sent hismen forward to eat up your village. "

"Where was Ngonyama when the gates were unguarded?"

"In the caverns under the cliff. "

"Wow!"

"The wise woman led us there. She left us there, fearing I, Ngonyama, would supplant you, her son; and on the second morning, when she found that Hassan was too cunning, she came with an offerof liberty if we would destroy his plan. We told her the way. It wasto let the water in. "

"It was a good plan. Haw!"

"She let the water in to save the people of the valley, and Hassan'smen were lost utterly; but the first victim was your mother, Muata. "

"It was a good death, " said Muata, after a long pause. 

"Ay, it was a good death, chief. Now send your men up the cliff, sothat they overlook the river-gates. "

"I will see to it, Ngonyama;" and Muata went down with his band tothe village once again, chanting the deep-chested song of victory. 

The jackal, who had accompanied Muata on the new trail, remainedwith his white friends. He was thin, he was famished, and he satwith his left front paw lifted. Venning, who had a fellow-feelingfor one in distress, being himself worn out, took the paw, discovered a nasty cut on the pad, washed it out with warm water, treated it with carbolic, bound it up, and gave the animal the potto dean, which he did, polishing it out with his long red tongue. 

The boy and the jackal stretched themselves on a kaross to the sun, while Mr. Hume and Compton went away off to make sure about theOkapi; for, as they said, they were in no mind to lose the boat, after all their exertions, just because they were a little tired. 

In the drowsy noon the tired boy slept, and through the afternoon, opening his eyes for a moment occasionally as the voices of thewomen rose to a higher pitch in a mournful dirge they were singingover the missing, and at intervals the jackal would raise his sharpmuzzle and sniff the air. There was some note in the dirge thatdisturbed the boy, and there was some taint in the air that made thejackal uneasy. Once it stood up as if to explore, but the sight ofits bandaged foot brought a pucker to his brows, and it curleditself up again after an intent look into the face of his humancompanion. 

For the rest of the day the dirge went on, rising and sinking likethe murmur of the sea in its flow and ebb on a still day. At duskthe two came back from their long march to the Deadman's Pool, bringing the report that they had recovered the missing boat, andconcealed it in a place of their own choosing this time. Venningawoke to hear the news, but he heard it without enthusiasm, just asthey had imparted the news in tones of weary indifference. 

The sickness of the forest was on them all--its monotony, itsvastness, and its brooding silence--and it caught them when theywere most liable to the attack; that is, when they were tired out, with all the spring gone from mind and sinews. 

"My poor father!" muttered Compton, as he sat down with his back tothe rock. "No wonder he looked upon this as a prison, placed as itis in this wilderness of trees. "

Mr. Hume nodded, and sat with his arms resting on his knees, smoking, and staring at nothing. 

Muata joined them, but his coming did not rouse them. 

"I have looked down on the gates, Ngonyama. As you said, the riverwas blocked by Hassan; but there is no sign of the thief, only somecanoes dropped by his men in their flight. "

He sat down and smoked, too, with the same listless look on hisface. 

The jackal rose at his master's coming, and stood whining andsniffing the air. 

No one took any notice of him but Venning, who coaxed him to him, and placed an arm round his yellow neck. 

"Why don't they sing something else?" said Compton, irritably, asthe mournful wail dinned its misery into his ears. 

Muata looked at the white men. "It is the rains, " he said. 

"Eh?"

"The rains are coming. Maybe that is why Hassan struck so soon, forwhen the rains come, every warrior is like the bow-string that hasbeen soaked in water. They hide the sun, they breed chills andsickness. I can feel the breath of them in my bones. It is therains. "

He shivered, and threw a stick on the fire. "In the morning, " hesaid, "we must find a new home, for the rains blow in at the mouthof this cave. The clouds hang low on the hills. "

"We have found our boat, chief; we will go on our way, " said theHunter, bluntly. 

"That way would be the way of death, " answered the chief, slowly. "It is bad here, but in the woods it is like the spray blown offfrom the rushing waters. Every tree is a rain-cloud, every leafdrops water, and the air you breathe in the woods is wet. If youwould live, great one, you must stay here. Wet when you sleep, whenyou eat, when you sit you sit in wet, when you stand the water runsoff; wet, all wet in the rains down in the woods. "

"Ugh!" said Venning, with a shudder; and Compton put on anotherstick. 

"We will see, " said the Hunter. 

They sat in silence, pondering over this new source of worry, thenturned in to sleep. They slept heavily, having taken great carefirst of all to block up the entrance to the underground passage, and as they dropped off to sleep, they heard the women chantingstill in the village below. The fire glowed red in the entrance, making the roof look like beaten gold, but the air blew chill, andthe sleepers were restless. A hand would reach out to the firewoodfor another log, or to tuck the blankets under the body, so that thecold could not sift under. 

The jackal was as weary as the rest. Several times he ran to theentrance to look out with pricked ears, then back again to stareinto a sleepy face; but as his human companions gradually sank intoheavy sleep, he crouched on the floor with his sharp nose restingbetween his forepaws, the one sound, the other bandaged. 

CHAPTER XXV

THE CRY IN THE NIGHT

As the fire-sticks snapped under the heat, the jackal would open hisyellow eyes and start back with his gaze fixed inquiringly on thefire, whose mystery he could never solve. One of these starts rousedVenning, who, seeing the cause, threw out a hand and drew the animalto him. He felt nervous, and the company of the jackal comfortedhim, and the jackal in its turn forgot its uneasiness in the warmthof the blankets. With a little sigh it curled up and went to sleep. 

The boy was the only one awake, and out in the wide space beyond heheard a voice calling--

"Ngonyama'"

He held his breath, and his throat grew very dry, for it was thevoice he had heard in the cavern, only sad this time, and notmocking as before. 

"Ngonyama!--yama!" It came thin and melancholy, with a longlingering on the last syllables. 

He put his hand out to rouse Mr. Hume, then drew it back ashamed ofhis fancies; but the movement awoke the jackal. It lifted its head, snuffed the air, then sprang up with the ruff on its neck erect, andits sharp white teeth gleaming. Several moments it stood so, thenwith many a look out, curled itself up again. 

Venning had watched it breathlessly, now he patted it to sleep, anddozed off himself, only to wake up in a violent tremble, with thatsound quivering plaintively in the air--

"Ngonyama! Ngonyama!"

He brushed his hand across his forehead, and found his face burninghot. He removed his blanket from his shoulders and sat up, stillpatting the jackal. The fire was before him, and the dark ring ofthe cave's mouth; but his eyes dilated as he looked, for within theglare of the fire was that same awful face he had seen down in thedarkness. 

He would have cried out, but his voice would not come; and with aneffort--for all the blood seemed to have left his limbs--he slowlymoved his hand to Mr. Hume's. 

The Hunter made no sign; but Venning, with his face turned still ina frozen stare towards the entrance, caught a change in thebreathing, and knew that his touch had answered its purpose. To theboy they were acting over the scene in the cavern again. He waswaiting for the shrill laugh, the sudden treacherous thrust of steelin the dark, and then the ring of metal on the rocks. 

Then, without any sign having been given that he was awake, thejackal in a bound was over the fire, swollen to double his size bythe bristling hair, and uttering as he charged a fierce yelp. 

Muata seemed to awake and spring forward all in one movement. Amoment he paused in the glare of the light, stooping forward, theglare showing red on his blade, and the next he was gone with a war-whoop, and in his place stood the Hunter, crouching also with thebroad blade in his hand. Between the fierce yelp of the jackal andthe spring of the Hunter only a few seconds had passed. The three ofthem less than half a minute since had been asleep; and now, out ofthe darkness on the ledge beyond came the ring of metal and thesavage grunts of men fighting for their lives. 

Venning remained where he was, too ill to rise; and Compton, not yettrained to act on a sudden emergency, sat up, bewildered by thenoise. 

"Mr. Hume--Godfrey--what is it?"

"The witches, " said Venning, "out of the underground. I saw onelooking in. "

"Eh?"

Compton felt for his carbine, and, gathering his wits, ran out, receiving promptly, on getting within the ring of light, a blow onhis arm, followed by a clutch at his throat. Driving the muzzle ofhis gun forward into something soft which emitted a grunt, he freedhimself from his assailant, and sprang aside. He heard the whizz ofweapons, the clash of blows, and saw dark forms indistinctly movingrapidly this way and that; then his rifle flashed as he saw acrouching form stealing upon him. 

"Yavuma!" cried the Hunter's voice, giving the Kaffir war-cry as heswung his terrible weapon at a foe. 

"Yavuma '" cried Muata, with the jackal snarling by his side. "Fire, little great one, into the thick. "

It was very well to say fire, but Compton could not tell friend fromfoe until, bending low, he made out that while two men had theirbacks to the cliff there were others around them in an enclosingring. Judging these were the enemy, though he could make out nodistinguishing point, he went down on his knee and fired rapidly. 

A man dashed by him towards the gorge, and the rest who couldfollowed. One gave a slashing left-hand stroke with a long sword ashe went by the kneeling marksman, and Compton went down in a heap. The man paused to finish his work, but with a savage roar the Hunterleapt forward and bore him to the ground. 

At the heels of the flying men went the jackal, and after him, soft-footed, went Muata, still-voiced. 

The fight was over. Mr. Hume picked Dick up and carried him into thecave. 

"A light, " said the Hunter. 

Venning, with his head throbbing, crawled feebly to where thelantern was, lit it with trembling fingers, and, sitting up, threwthe light on the two forms--on the one face, beaded, working stillwith the fury of the fight; on the other, still, white, and blood-stained. 

The boy's hand shook more violently, and in his weakness he sobbed. 

"Put the lantern down, " said Mr. Hume, fiercely. 

Quickly he staunched the flow of blood, cut away the hair, and then, with an impatient look at the sobbing boy, lowered the head he wassupporting, and searched for liniment, ointment, and restoratives. 

Bending over his task, he worked with skilful fingers, and then, with a sigh, watched the white face intently. Then he went outsideto listen, to bend over the figures lying still in the darkness, andreturning, built up the fire. 

Venning watched him return to Dick, saw the long, anxious scrutiny, and then burst out crying as he saw a look of relief come into therugged face. 

"Don't worry, lad; he'll pick up. "

"I know you think I'm no good, " was the boy's heartbroken reply. 

Mr. Home was at his side. "Nonsense, lad. I know what it is to havea touch of fever; and besides, I believe it was you who gavewarning. "

"I heard some one calling Ngonyama, " said the boy, in a whisper, "and I saw the face in the entrance--the same face I saw down underthere. Were they the witches?"

"It was Hassan and some of his men. They must have escaped from theriver and remained in hiding. I felt your hand in the night, and itwoke me. So, you see, you did your part. Now rest, there's a goodchap. "

Mr. Hume made the boy a cooling drink, with a dose of quinine. 

"I would have helped, if I could. "

"You did help, " said the Hunter, earnestly. "If it had not been foryou we should have been killed while we slept. You saved our lives, just as you saved the valley by your thought of letting the waterout. "

Venning was comforted. He rose up on his elbow to have another lookat Dick, saw that the colour was coming back into the white face, and leant back on his pillow. 

In the morning Muata came into the cave, staggering like a drunkenman from loss of blood, and at his heels limped the jackal with histongue out. 

"Well?" said the Hunter. 

"The last fell on the shores of the dead pool, and the last wasHassan himself. "

The chiefs bloodshot eyes roamed over the cave, until they rested onVenning's startled face. 

"On the brink of the pool he fell, and where he fell there, too, wasthe Inkosikase. " It seemed as if he were addressing the remark toVenning. 

"I heard her call 'Ngonyama' in the night, " whispered the boy. 

"Wow!"

"So the young chief told me after you had gone, " said the Hunter. 

Venning nodded his head. 

The chief accepted the explanation. "The Inkosikase waited for thewolf by the water's edge, " he said simply, "and I smote him behindthe ear. So her spirit is at rest. "

"Let me see to your wounds, chief. "

"Wow! It is well my people should see them;" and the warrior wentdown with unsteady steps to the village, leaving a trail of blood;and when the people had shouted in triumph at his story of the lastfight, the medicine men took him into their charge, when his lifewas in danger of escaping through one of those gaping cuts made byArab swords on his body. 

For a fortnight Mr. Hume nursed his young friends back to health, and for a week they sat and walked in the sun, slowly regainingstrength; and then came the first forerunner of the rains in a dayof pelting showers. 

"It is the beginning, " said Muata, who was proud of his newly healedscars. "You must come down into the valley. "

"There was something said about the full moon, " said Mr. Hume, suspiciously. 

The chief laughed. "It was the wish of the Inkosikase; but now sheis gone, it is in my heart to take the wives to myself. But thereare others, Ngonyama. "

"No, chief, " said the Hunter, quickly. "How do you live in therains, chief? Is there much discomfort?"

"Wow! it is the red pig's life--mud all about; and there is muchsickness, for the people crowd together in the huts. "

"I suppose we must stay and make the best of it; but the huts aresmall. "

"They are the best we can make. "

"I don't know, " said Venning, thoughtfully, with his eyes on theopposite cliff. "I see there are trees up there. Is there a way up?"

"There is a goats'-track. What is in your mind, young wise one?"

"We will climb up that goats'-path, chief, " said Venning, "with allthe men, cut down many of those trees, and roll them over the cliffinto the valley. Then will we build a great house, and the womenwill gather grass and reeds for the thatching of it. "

"It would be a good plan, if it could be done. "

"We'll do it, " said the Hunter; "but if we are to stay here, we mustbring up the boat, and you must let us have some of your men. "

"All, " said the chief; and that day the Okapi was brought up insections. 

Then Venning's scheme was taken in hand, the cliff scaled, a hundredtrees felled, and rolled over as they fell, with all the brancheson. Then they returned to the valley, drew the fallen trees out, lopped off the branches, shaped the poles, dug holes, and got theuprights into position. Then followed the ridge-poles and thesideposts, and the roof took shape, to the wonder of the women, anoble span covering some thousands of square feet, with a length ofone hundred and fifty feet, and a height of fifty feet. As thesupporting rafters were laid, the women climbed up and set to workat the thatching, using long bands of bark for the binding. Andwhile the women worked at the roof, the men built up stone walls, under directions of the architects. The great house built, a smallerone was made for the women, to serve as a general kitchen, withgreat stacks of wood piled up all round for the fires. The entirepopulation was kept hard at it for a week, and when the work wasdone, there was a grand ceremony over the wedding of Muata; and thenone morning they awoke to find a low grey canopy drawn over thevalley, from which fell a steady drizzle of rain. The next day waslike the first, and so on for nearly three months there was aperpetual mist in the valley, a long dismal succession of leadenskies hanging low. One of these days the three white friends, incompany with Muata, paid a visit to the underground world to obtaina supply of sulphur to serve as a disinfectant and purifier--anotheridea of Venning's. They found the dark passages thundering to thefall of the water, but they found no signs whatever of livingcreatures. With their loads of sulphur they very soon left theforbidding place, and for some days after the unhappy people of thevillage had to submit to the terrors of fumigation. As the"medicine" was undoubtedly strong, and as it certainly stopped theprogress of sickness that had broken out, the "Spider" rose in theestimation of the people as a great wizard. 

At last the curtains were drawn, the blue of the sky appeared, andthe valley glittered in the brilliant sunlight. 

Then the women went singing to their gardens, the men prepared forthe hunt, and the white chiefs got out their shining canoe from itswrappings, rubbed it with fat, and polished it with wood-ashes tillit shone like a looking-glass. 

"Ton will go, then?" said Muata. 

"If your men will carry the pieces down to the larger river belowthe gates, we will thank you. "

The men went off singing, six men to each section, and in theafternoon the Okapi was once more in her proper element. 

"And which way will you go, Ngonyama?"

"We have thought it over during the rains, chief. We will go backthrough the open water, back past the place where we landed in theforest, back into the great river, and then south, even to thefarthest reaches of the Congo, when we shall be among people I know. There we will get carriers to take the boat to the waters of anothergreat river, the Zambesi. "

"Towards the setting sun, " said Muata. "And you will want a man?"

"Two men, we would ask; and one of them, the Angoni warrior, who didso well in the fight, for his country is to the south. "

"Only one man you can have, " said the chief, shortly. 

They had said their good-bye to the people in the valley, who hadwept at their departure, for the white men had done much for them, and never before had they borne the visitation of the rains with solittle discomfort. 

Now they said good-bye to the chief, the man who had shared so muchof danger with them, whose shield had been their shield, whose spearhad been theirs to command. 

It was difficult to say good-bye, for he seemed moody, answered themin monosyllables, and at last, after a curt nod, left them longbefore they were ready to go. And when at last they were headingdown the broad river to the old pleasant music of the clanginglevers, the edge of their joy was blunted by the thought of thewarrior's lowering looks. 

"I'm sorry, " said Mr. Hume, for the third time. 

"I believe he has had something on his mind for days past, " saidVenning; "and yesterday I saw him arguing with the headmen. "

"Yet he never opposed our going. I have never seen him like thatbefore. Hang it all, I can't bear to think we have left him lookingso down;" and Compton banged the lever over. 

They went on in silence for a mile, still thinking over Muata, whenthe Angoni, who was on watch, cried out--

"Congela!"

"What do you see?"

The man pointed a black finger at the river, and on it they saw twoblack spots. The man's teeth gleamed in a smile and his black eyessparkled. 

They stood up to look, and then Mr. Hume motioned to the boys. 

"Let her have it, " he said; and they made those levers smoke in theslots, for they saw in those black spots the long face of the jackaland the head of Muata!

They were helped dripping on board, the chief with nothing else thanhis Ghoorka blade. 

Mr. Hume waited for an explanation, and the chief gave it in hiscalm way, without a smile. 

"You wanted two men, great one. I am the second. "

"But we go far, while the moon is many times at the full. "

"You go towards the setting sun, Ngonyama, and there also goes theson of the Inkosikase. "

"But your people?"

"I have said my say with them. They are in peace, and they can livein peace; but is Muata a goat that he should live in a kraal? Wow! Iam a Hunter, like this little one;" and he patted the jackal on thehead. 

"We are only too glad to have you, chief, if your mind is fully madeup?"

"See, Ngonyama, I thought to live in ease and grow fat, but thespirit of my mother called out upon me--ay, it fought within me--andI go for the hills and the open plains. Behold, I am no longerchief. " He took the long blue feather from his head, and let itglance to the water. "My shield is your shield. "

He sat down in the bows with his face toward the river, and the boyslaughed as they worked the levers. 

"Ripping!" said Compton, feeling quite happy, as he touched hisprecious journal. 

"As good as finding a new butterfly, " said Venning. 

Mr. Hume nodded his head gravely several times, and then a smilecame into his eyes. 

"I guess, " he said, "we'll have some good hunting. "

And good hunting they had after they had passed the Stanley Fallsand were in the game country, stretching for hundreds of miles tothe Zambesi. Some day, perhaps, we may hear of the adventures theyhad in their long voyage before at last, a thousand miles off, theytouched bottom in the shallows where the mighty Congo narrowed downto a stream that could be crossed at a jump. From the Congo theymarched to a tributary of the Zambesi, and at the Victoria Falls, after having gathered a store of ivory, they found an ox-wagon, which took them to Bulawayo; and near Bulawayo the two boys, nowstalwart young men, took possession of a farm owned by Mr. Hume, towait for the return of the Hunter from England, whither he had gone. On his return they would go north, in order to keep their promise topick up Muata, whom they left at an Angoni kraal, on another huntingexpedition.