at?"

"No, Baas. The Baas knows that I am strong, my Spirit who gave me
ugliness gave me strength also to make up for it, and it is well, for
had I been beautiful as you are, Baas, and not very strong, I should
have been a slave now, or dead. With my chained hands I choked him who
was set to watch me, and took his knife. Then by my strength I broke the
irons--see, Baas, here are the scars of them to this day. When I broke
them they cut into my flesh, but they were old irons that had been on
many slaves, so I mastered them. Then as others came to kill me I threw
myself into the water and dived, and they never saw me more. Afterwards
I swam all the way, resting from time to time on the islands and from
time to time running along the shore where the reeds were not too thick,
till at length I escaped into the open country. I travelled four days to
reach it, and most of that time I was in the water."

"And what did you feed on?"

"Roots and the eggs of birds."

"And did not the alligators try to eat you?"

"Yes, one, Baas, but I am quick in the water. I got upon the
water-snake's back--ah! my Spirit was with me then--and I drove the
knife through his eye into his brain. Then I smeared myself over with
his blood, and after that they did not touch me, for they knew the smell
and thought that I was their brother."

"Say, Otter, are you not afraid of going back to this place?"

"Somewhat, Baas, for there is that hell of which you white people talk.
But where the Baas goes there I can go also; Otter will not linger while
you run. Also, Baas, I am not brave, no, no, yet I would look upon that
Yellow Devil again, yes, if I myself must die to do it, and kill him
with these hands."

And the dwarf dropped the paddle screaming "Kill him! kill him! kill
him!" so loudly that the birds rose in affright from the marshes.

"Be quiet," said Leonard angrily; "do you want to bring the Arabs on
us?"

But to himself he thought that he should be sorry for Pereira, alias the
"Yellow Devil," if once Otter found a chance to fly at his throat.

CHAPTER IX

THE YELLOW DEVIL'S NEST

Sundown came, and, as on the previous night, the three travellers
camped upon an island waiting for the moon to rise. They had caught two
flapper-ducks in some weeds, and there was a talk of lighting a fire to
cook them by. Finally Leonard negatived this idea. "It is dangerous,"
he said, "for fires can be seen from afar." So they made a wretched meal
of