Samba

t Al

ove the river. Here he found the rest of his party-some fifty strong West African natives-the three canoes in which

to haul the canoes through the rapids, and sometimes to make portages for a considerable distance. Fortunately the canoes were not heavily laden. They contai

his gratitude for his son's recovery. When taking the boy's pulse, Barnard had timed the beats by means of his gold repeater. The chief looked on in wonderment, believing that the mysterious sounds he heard from the watch were part of the stranger's magic. When the cure was complete, he asked Barnard to present him with the magic box; but the American made him understand by signs that he could not give it away; besides, it was useful only to the white man. Whereupon the chief had a happy thought. If the yel

o be found. The American was then led across a vast stretch of swampy ground to a rugged hill some three or four miles from Ilola. Throug

im with a rough map on which he had traced the course of the streams he would have to navigate to reach it. But even without the map it might be fou

was for many reasons preferable to a tent. Sudden storms were not infrequent in these latitudes, especially at night-a tent might be blown or washed away almost without warning, while a well-built native hut would stand fast. Moreover, a tent is at the best uncomfortably hot and clo

re the people knew white men only by hearsay, and could not distinguish between inoffensive travellers and the grasping agents whose cruelty rumour was spreading through the land

by the scenes and events of the day, and did not fall asleep the moment he lay down, as he usually did. The tent was very warm and stuffy; the mosquitoes found weak spots in his curtains and sought diligently for unexplored regions of his skin, until he found the conditions intolerable. He got up, envying his uncle, who was sound asleep, his snores vying with th

ng croak of frogs, the lesser noises of birds and insects among the reeds. The boatmen and other natives of the party were a hundred yards away, be

t where the nearest of the canoes was moored. Was it a wild beast, he wondered, prowling for food? Or perhaps his eyes had deceived him? He moved a little forward; carefully, for the blackness of night seemed deeper than ever. Another flash! He had not been mistaken

wrestle and box, and, as became a boy of Tom Brown's school, fight. True, the man had a knife; but with the advantage of surprise on his side Jack felt that the odds were fairly equal. He stole down the slope to the waterside, hoping that the darkness would remai

and, hot with rage, turned to grapple with the negro. His fingers touched a greasy skin; the man drew back, wriggled round, and prepared to leap overboard. At the moment when he made his spring Jack flung out his hands to catch him. He was just an instant too late; the negro had splashed into the shallow water on the far side of the canoe, and disappeared into the inky blackness beyond, leaving in Jack's hands a broken string, with a small round object dangling from the end. At the same moment there was a

ight e

the rest of the night. Then he went back to his tent, bound up his wound, and stretched himself on his mattress. He lay awake for a time, wondering what motive the intruder coul

ke clear. Jack told his

rtindale. "What's the m

s a move of that Be

I've bought the rights from his company, and as they'll get royal

amba,

ith us. No, I don't think he was at the bottom of it. I've always heard that these niggers are arrant thieves; the villagers were unfriendly

wound. I washed it with alum solution, an

e in these parts. Try my dodge; shut your eyes and imagine you see forty thousand sheep jumping a patent boundary fence in single file; or if that do

it last night," replied Jack, laughing.

, there's a good fellow. I've paid double

their breakfast. Barney was engaged in a like service for the white men, and Samba proved him

id Barney, as he handed Mr. Martindale h

oy gettin

wrong wid him. All he really needs is a dish uv good honest murphies

route were the sweet variety. Mr. Martindale rather liked them-a w

t to what appeared to be a log cast up on the sand and exclaim "Nkoli!" and utter shrill screams: and the log would perhaps disappear, leaving no trace, or move and open a sleepy eye, and Barney ejaculate, "A crocodile, by all the holy powers!" Once he drew Jack's attention to a g

mulet he had torn from the neck of the midnight marauder. The boy start

'oka f

him uncle," Na

ke rapidl

uncle on smoke-boat, sah.

, Nando translating to the boy, who li

he smile?"

e: lost medicine ring; he no fit for do b

us kind gentleman for holding a horse in Sackville Street whin he was a bhoy. He had always been unlucky before that, sorr, and sure

ulet means that the owner will never succeed in any tricks aga

I'll give

it seriously for a moment, then his face broke into a

!"[2] he cried, c

leasure and licke

emarked Mr. Martindale pleasantl

there would be some difficulty in finding a space sufficiently clear for a camp. But at last the travellers came to a spot where a stretch of level grassland ran wedge-like into the vegetation. At one end the ground rose graduall

a, lying just within the flap-door of Barney O'Dowd's tent, one arm pillowing his head, the other clasping the terrier, was disturbed by a low whine. He was awake in an instant. He had never heard Pat whine; the dog barked at everything; why had he changed his manner of speech? Samba got up:

gs to follow him. He walked a few yards in the direction he supposed Samba to have taken; but it was too dark to see him, and neither boy nor dog made any further sound

e cried. "Is that the fa

the man rolled over, gave a gr

surrounding forest seemed asleep. But suddenly, Pat became restless and uttered a rumbling growl. Samba held him close and whispered to him, and the dog a

summit of the overhanging cliff. Moving stealthily to the edge he peere

was instantly silent in response to the boy's whispered warning. Samba seemed to find his way by instinct over the uneven ground. Now and again he heard a beast scurry away at his approach and rustle thr

st the sound of low voices ahead made him halt. Whispering again to Pat, who licked his hand as if to reassure him, he set the dog down and crept forward again, bending low, and taking care, dark as it was, to avail himself of every bush for cover. To judge by the voices, a large num

sleeping camp through the forest in its rear. In a flash he saw through their scheme. Bidding Pat in a whisper to follow him, he turned and hurried back, climbing the face

exclaimed breathlessly

d in with thr

her's youn

Good

he natives' a

illains a