at sign?"

"Baas, this sign: That web is the Motombo's cave. The big spider is the
Motombo. The white moth is us, Baas, who are caught in the web and going
to be eaten."

"Very pretty, Hans," I said, "but what is the fish that came up and
swallowed the spider so that the moth fell on the wood and floated
away?"

"Baas, _you_ are the fish, who come up softly, softly out of the water
in the dark, and shoot the Motombo with the little rifle, and then the
rest of us, who are the moth, fall into the canoe and float away. There
is a storm about to break, Baas, and who will see you swim the stream in
the storm and the night?"

"The crocodiles," I suggested.

"Baas, I didn't see a crocodile eat the fish. I think the fish is
laughing down there with the fat spider in its stomach. Also when
there is a storm crocodiles go to bed because they are afraid lest the
lightning should kill them for their sins."

Now I remembered that I had often heard, and indeed to some extent
noted, that these great reptiles do vanish in disturbed weather,
probably because their food hides away. However that might be, in an
instant I made up my mind.

As soon as it was quite dark I would swim the water, holding the little
rifle, _Intombi_, above my head, and try to steal the canoe. If the old
wizard was watching, which I hoped might not be the case, well, I
must deal with him as best I could. I knew the desperate nature of the
expedient, but there was no other way. If we could not get a boat we
must remain in that foodless forest until we starved. Or if we returned
to the island of the Flower, there ere long we should certainly be
attacked and destroyed by Komba and the Pongos when they came to look
for our bodies.

"I'll try it, Hans," I said.

"Yes, Baas, I thought you would. I'd come, too, only I can't swim and
when I was drowning I might make a noise, because one forgets oneself
then, Baas. But it will be all right, for if it were otherwise I am sure
that your reverend father would have shown us so in the sign. The moth
floated off quite comfortably on the wood, and just now I saw it spread
its wings and fly away. And the fish, ah! how he laughs with that fat
old spider in his stomach!"

CHAPTER XVIII

FATE STABS

We went back to the others whom we found crouched on the ground among
the coffins, looking distinctly depressed. No wonder; night was closing
in, the thunder was beginning to growl and