ed in amongst the trees, to re-appear once
more as they made for the denser portions of the forest.

"Why, there's one left behind, Ned," said Jack suddenly. "It looks as
if it was lame."

"Why, it has broken down. Look, sir, how it keeps limping. I say, we
must have him. We can't let a chance like that go when we're starving.
Keep your eye on the spot, sir, while I try and hit off some mark to
know him by."

Jack's response, as Ned moved to get into a better position for
observation, was to leap upon the man and drag him back into the
entrance of the cavern.

"What did you do that for, sir?" he cried angrily.

"Couldn't you see what was coming?"

"No, sir," cried Ned surlily; "could you?"

"Go down on hands and knees to that block of stone lying there, and peep
over cautiously."

Ned obeyed in an ill-used fashion, and dropped down again to crawl back
into the cavern.

"Oh, I say, Mr Jack, seven or eight of them."

"I only saw two."

"Quite what I said, sir. They must have been hunting the drove, and
speared the one that hung behind. Now, then, they'll be stopping to
cook and have another feast. Suppose they come in here to make this
their kitchen? Hadn't we better slip out at once and make a run for
it?"

"Run for it?" cried Jack. "How can we up here, where it is all slow
climb? No, we must keep in hiding."

"But suppose they choose this place and come here?"

"Not likely, Ned. If they do we must go farther into its depths."

"Ugh!" cried the man with a shudder. "I want to get out of the hole.
It's hot and steamy, and unnatural. I believe some of the melted stuff
came out this way."

"What, the molten lava? Of course," said Jack coolly. "I don't
understand much about it, but it's plain enough that this was all liquid
molten matter once, and that it ran out along here."

"What, this rock, Mr Jack? Do you mean melted like lead and running
down?"

"Of course."

"Oh, I say, Mr Jack, is this a time, with black Indians close at hand,
to go stuffing a fellow with cranky tales?"

"I am only telling you the simple truth, Ned."

"But hard stone can't melt."

"Yes, it can, if the heat is great enough. This was all running like
molten metal once, this part under our feet."

"And what about this where we are, sir?"

"It seems to me, Ned, as if it were the cindery froth on the top, that
was full of gas and steam, so that when it cooled it left all these
holes and cracks and crevices