themselves. Furthermore,
although before entering this open space it had appeared to them that
they had been following a tolerably well-defined path, or "run," now
that they came to look for such a thing it proved impossible to find
anything of the kind, an experimental advance of a few yards in any
given direction yielding a precisely similar impression. The final
conclusion arrived at was that, having once got out of the proper track,
they had not been following a path at all, but simply making their way
at haphazard between the innumerable patches of underscrub.

At this point Sziszkinski interposed with a remark that offered a
possible solution of the difficulty.

"I know not, gentlemen," he said, "whether any of you took particular
notice of the appearance of that mahogany tree at the moment when we
entered this enclosure; but my recollection of it is that, as we first
became aware of its presence, that big lower limb extended almost at
right angles to our track, pointing to our left. Carrying my memory
back to that moment, I think I must have been standing here, or
hereabout,"--placing himself in position to illustrate his remark--"and
facing this way. And if I am correct, that,"--as he faced right about
and pointed--"must be about the point at which we entered."

With their memories thus jogged, the other three men presently came to
the conclusion that the Russian was right; and starting afresh, upon
this assumption, they instituted a further and still closer search for
their own spoor, eventually finding certain faint and indefinite
indentations in the carpet of withered leaves which they agreed must be
their own footprints. Following these faint indications as well as they
could, they now pushed forward eagerly; for Sir Reginald had by this
time become seriously apprehensive that they might not get back to the
_Flying Fish_ by breakfast-time, in which case he knew that those left
behind on board her would quickly become alarmed, and suffer much
distress at the non-appearance of the absentees. And a gratifying
assurance that they were going right was afforded the wanderers, about
half an hour after their departure from the mahogany tree, by the
discovery of the charred remains of one of the torches that had helped
to light them on their way.

This discovery put fresh heart into the little party; for if they had
come thus far all right there was no reason, they told themselves, why
they should not keep