branches as they could gather from the
ground, or the adjacent scrub, as they went; and while the small twigs
were so exceedingly combustible that they were consumed in a minute or
two, the larger ones refused to burn at all. And finally even the
professor himself at length very reluctantly came to the conclusion that
the okapi was irretrievably lost, and that to seek further for it would
but be a useless expenditure of time and energy.

With the arrival of the professor at this conclusion, and his admission
thereof, the party at once turned back and began to retrace their steps;
the difficulty with the torches increasing as they went. They struggled
on for a considerable time, however, von Schalckenberg leading the way,
until at length they came to a small open space in the centre of which
grew an enormous mahogany tree. With one accord the four men came to a
dead halt, regarding each other with an expression very nearly
approaching to consternation.

"We have missed our way," exclaimed Sir Reginald, with decision; "I am
certain that we never passed that tree on our outward journey."

The others were equally convinced of the truth of this, as also of
Lethbridge's terse statement that there was nothing for it but to try
back by the way that they had come until they again hit the right path.
But they decided that, before doing so, they would endeavour to provide
themselves with a good supply of torches, a large quantity of dry twigs
and branches from the mahogany tree offering them the opportunity to do
so, and the professor blaming the inadequacy of the light for his
mistake in having led them into a wrong path.

They accordingly spent the best part of an hour in this manner, by the
end of which they had as many torches--of a sort--as they could
conveniently carry. During this period the four men had been wandering
round and round the open space in which they had so unexpectedly found
themselves, seeking the most suitable material for their purpose; and
when at length they were ready to make a fresh start a question arose as
to the precise whereabouts of the spot at which they had entered. Each,
it appeared, had his own opinion, which differed from that of the
others; and when, in order to settle the question, they decided to
search for their own footprints as a guide, they made the disconcerting
discovery that the imprints were altogether too faint to be traceable by
such comparatively inexperienced trackers as