f a little dried meat and some raw duck's eggs.

It was fortunate that his caution prevailed, since, as the twilight
was dying into dark, they heard the stroke of paddles and made out the
shapes of canoes passing them. There were several canoes, each of which
towed something behind it, and the men in them shouted to one another
from time to time, now in Portuguese and now in Arabic.

"Lie still, lie still," whispered Otter, "these are the slave-men taking
back the big boats."

Leonard and Soa followed his advice to the letter, and the slavers,
paddling furiously up stream, passed within thirty feet of where they
crouched in the rushes.

"Give way, comrades," called one man to the captain of the next canoe;
"the landing-place is near, and there is rum for those who earn it."

"I hope that they will not stop here," said Leonard beneath his breath.

"Hist!" answered Otter, "I hear them landing."

He was right; the party had disembarked about two hundred yards away.
Presently they heard them collecting reeds for burning, and in ten
minutes more two bright tongues of flame showed that they had lit their
fires.

"We had better get out of this," said Leonard; "if they discover us----"

"They will not discover us, Baas, if we lie still," answered Otter; "let
us wait awhile. I have another plan. Listen, Baas." And he whispered in
his ear.

So they waited. From the fires below them came the sound of men eating
and drinking--especially drinking. An hour passed, and Leonard rose,
followed by Otter, who said:

"I will come too, Baas; I can move like a cat."

"Where are you going, White Man?" asked Soa.

"I am going to spy upon those men. I understand Portuguese, and wish to
hear what they say. Otter, take your knife and revolver, but no gun."

"Good," said the woman, "but be careful. They are very clever."

"Yes, yes," put in Otter, "but the Baas is clever also, and I, I am
clever. Do not fear for us, mother."

Then they started, creeping cautiously through the reeds. When they were
within twenty yards of the fires, Leonard missed his footing and fell
into a pool of water with a splash. Some of the slave-dealers heard
the noise and sprang to their feet. Instantly Otter grunted in exact
imitation of a hippopotamus-calf.

"A sea-cow," said a man in Portuguese. "She won't hurt us. The fire will
frighten her."

Leonard and Otter waited awhile, then crept to a clump of reeds whence
they could hear every word that wa