himself, he fixed on one a short
distance off, a branch of which hung down sufficiently low to enable him
to swing himself up by it. He took one glance also behind him. The
darkness prevented him from seeing the figures of this Arabs on the
opposite side, but he could hear their voices still shouting loudly.
Having recovered his breath, he once more started off in the direction
of the tree. Should he there find that he was not pursued, as he
expected, he intended to continue his course along the bank of the
river. He reached the tree, and was on the point of grasping the bough
when he heard men shouting behind him, and, glancing over his shoulder,
he distinguished amid the gloom three dark figures coming on at full
speed. He hoped, however, that he might not have been seen, and that,
if he could once get into the tree, they might pass by. He made frantic
efforts to draw himself up, and had just succeeded when he felt his foot
seized by a human hand. He in vain endeavoured to free himself. The
gruff voice of a black shouted to him, and he recognised it as that of
one of his former guards. The man pulled away at his leg with such
force that he was compelled to let go his hold, and would have fallen
heavily to the ground had not his other pursuers, who came up, caught
him. Once more he found himself a prisoner. His captors, he judged by
the way they spoke, were abusing him, though he could not understand
what they said. Further resistance was useless, so he resigned himself
to his fate. What they were going to do with him he could not tell;
whether they would recross the river or remain on the side he had
reached. They led him down to the bank, from which a large amount of
shouting was exchanged. This finally ceased, and he found himself being
led up the stream, as he concluded, towards a ford, or to some spot
where a crossing might be more easily effected than at the place where
he had swum over. He was right in his conjectures, for after some time
torches appeared on the opposite side, and his captors, dragging him
along, plunged into the stream, and began to wade across, shouting and
shrieking at the top of their voices as they did so, and boating the
water with some long sticks to drive away the crocodiles. Several Arabs
and blacks with torches received the party as they landed, casting
scowling looks at poor Ned, who had abundance of abuse heaped upon him
for his futile attempt to escape. On being led