mlessly through a wilderness of
reeds broken here and there by lines of deeper water.

According the Ogula they should have reached the confines of the great
lake several days before and landed on healthful rising ground that
was part of the Asiki territory. But this had not happened, and now he
doubted whether it ever would happen. It was more likely that they would
come to their deaths, there in the marsh, especially as the few ball and
shot cartridges which they had saved in their flight were now exhausted.
Not one was left; nothing was left except their revolvers with some
charges, which of course were quite useless for the killing of game.
Therefore they were in a fair way to die of hunger, for here if fish
existed, they refused to be caught and nought remained for them to fill
themselves with except water slugs, and snails which the boatmen were
already gathering and crunching up in their great teeth. Or, perhaps
the Ogula, forgetting friendship under the pressure of necessity, would
murder them as they slept and--revert to their usual diet.

Jeekie was right, he should have remembered the "uncontrollable forces
of Nature." Only a madman would have undertaken such an expedition in
the rains. No wonder that the Asiki remained a secret and hidden people
when their frontier was protected by such a marsh as this upon the one
side and, as he understood, by impassable mountains upon the other.

There came a lull in the tempest and the boatmen began to get the better
of the water, which now was up to their knees. Alan asked Jeekie if he
thought it was over, but that worthy shook his white head mournfully,
causing the spray to fly as from a twirling mop, and replied:

"Can't say, cats and dogs not tumble so many for present, only pups and
kitties left, so to speak, but think there plenty more up there," and he
nodded at the portentous fire-laced cloud which seemed to be spreading
over them, its black edges visible even through the gloom.

"Bad business, I am afraid, Jeekie. Shouldn't have brought you here, or
those poor beggars either," and he looked at the scared, frozen Ogula.
"I begin to wonder----"

"Never wonder, Major," broke in Jeekie in alarm. "If wonder, not
live, if wonder, not be born, too much wonder about everywhere. Can't
understand nothing, so give it up. Say, 'Right-O and devil hindermost!'
Very good motto for biped in tight place. Better drown here than in City
bucket shop. But no drown. Should be de