," said Panton
quickly, and then, as he pointed upward toward the volcano, "and there's
the convulser ready to do anything. There, come along, no more
scientific discussions. Let's collect, but, first of all, we must think
of the pot."

"Are we coming back here?" asked Drew.

"Decidedly," cried Lane. "We'll make this camp still. Make up the
fire, Smith, and you two can come with us till we have shot enough for
dinner and then come back here and do the cooking."

"Right, sir," replied Smith. "Come along, Billy."

The fire was well drawn together and replenished with fuel, and then,
shouldering their guns, the party started; but upon Oliver Lane glancing
back he called a halt.

"Here, Wriggs," he cried, "we don't want that ladder, nor those ropes,
Smith."

"Don't yer, sir?"

"No, we are going along the edge of the forest. Take those things
back."

The ladder and ropes were taken back and then a fresh start was made,
the explorers keeping well to the edge of the forest for several
reasons, the principal being that they could easily get out toward the
barren slope of the mountain, and the travelling was so much easier as
they formed a line and beat the undergrowth for specimens and game.

"Pot first, you know," said Panton, "science later on. Are we likely to
get a deer of any kind, Lane?"

"No," said Drew decisively.

"Why not?" said Lane. "We have seen that there are leopards, and
leopards must have something to live upon. I should say that we may
find some small kind of deer."

"Leopards might live on the monkeys," said Panton.

"Perhaps so, but I'm prepared for anything in a place like this. What's
that?"

"I can hear one of them steam engyne birds coming along, sir," said
Wriggs, from behind.

"What birds?"

"One of them rooshy rashy ones, sir, as you called blow-horn-bills, and
makes such a noise with their wings."

"Hornbills without the blow, my man," said Lane, laughing. "Look out,
all of you. Hornbills are fruit-eating birds, and would be good
roasted."

There was the sharp clicking of gun-locks as the rushing sound of big
wings was heard four times over; but the birds passed to right or left
to them, hidden by the trees, and all was silent again, till after a few
hundred yards had been passed something got up in a dense thicket and
went off through the forest at a tremendous rate.

"Lane, man, why didn't you fire?" cried Panton reproachfully.

"Because I have a habit of lo