ool, Jeekie was absolutely
inexhaustible. At least at the end of that fearful chase, which lasted
all the day, and through the night also, for they dared not camp, he
appeared to be nearly as fresh as when he started from Old Calabar, nor
did his spirits fail him for one moment.

When the light came on the following morning, however, they perceived
by many signs and tokens that the dwarf people were all about them. Some
arrows were shot even, but these fell short.

"Pooh!" said Jeekie, "all right now, they much afraid. Still, no time
for coffee, we best get on."

So they got on as they could, till towards midday the forest began to
thin out. Now as the light grew stronger they could see the dwarfs, of
whom there appeared to be several hundred, keeping a parallel course
to their own on either side of them at what they thought to be a safe
distance.

"Try one shot, I think," said Jeekie, kneeling down and letting fly at
a clump of the little men, which scattered like a covey of partridges,
leaving one of its number kicking on the ground. "Ah! my boy," shouted
Jeekie in derision, "how you like bullet in tummy? You not know Paradox
guaranteed flat trajectory 250 yard. You remember that next time,
sonny." Then off they went again up a long rise.

"River other side of that rise," said Jeekie. "Think those tree-monkeys
no follow us there."

But the "monkeys" appeared to be angry and determined. They would not
come any more within the range of the Paradox, but they still marched
on either side of the two fugitives, knowing well that at last their
strength must fail and they would be able to creep up and murder them.
So the chase went on till Alan began to wonder whether it would not be
better to face the end at once.

"No, no, if say die, can't change mind to-morrow morning," gasped Jeekie
in a hoarse voice. "Here top rise, much nearer than I thought. Oh, my
aunt! who those?" and he pointed to a large number of big men armed with
spears who were marching up the further side of the hill from the river
that ran below.

At the same moment these savages, who were not more than two hundred
yards away, caught sight of them and of their pursuers, who just then
appeared on the ridge to the right and left. The dwarfs, on perceiving
these strangers, uttered a shrill yell of terror, and wheeled about to
fly to their fastnesses in the forest, which evidently they regretted
ever having left. It was too late. With an answering shou