poured down its hot rays,
making the leaves glisten like metal, and the air was so clear that the
pigs' eyes and every movement were as plain as if close at hand.

"Seems treacherous lying in wait like this," he thought. "Poor
wretches! they all look as playful and contented as can be."

But he knew that he and Ned must eat if they were ever to escape from
that mountain, and the sentiment of pity died out as the time went on.

The pigs were slow in coming down, for under the trees at the other side
of the gully the fruit they sought seemed to be plentiful, and he could
see the younger ones hunting one another as a lucky find was made, this
resulting in a good deal of squealing, while above it the deep grunts of
the elders were plainly heard.

But there was no sight of Ned, and half-an-hour must have passed, with
the pigs still out of reach for a good shot.

"If they do come this way," thought the lad, "I can't study about
picking one; I must shoot into the thickest part and chance it. But
where is Ned? Why don't he show?"

At last there was the appearance far up of a large pig coming down
toward the herd, but the next moment, as it glided among the leaves,
Jack saw that it was a pig with clothes on, and that it carried a bow
and arrow.

The time had come for a shot, and softly and slowly the lad edged
himself back till he could drop on his knees behind the stone, rest the
bow upon it horizontally, and wait for the critical moment to draw and
launch his arrow.

He could watch Ned the while as well as the herd, and by slow degrees he
saw his companion creep from tree-trunk to tree-trunk, slowly
diminishing the distance, while, having probably cleared off the fallen
fruit, the herd broke into a trot as if to pass within twenty yards of
where he waited.

But the next minute they had stopped fifty yards away, and Ned had soon
reduced his distance till he was about as much above them. Then all at
once he disappeared.

The minutes seemed to be terribly long drawn out now, but the herd came
lower and lower, till fully half of them were rambling about just in
front; and feeling that he would never have a better chance, the lad
singled out one half-grown fellow in the midst of three more, all
feeding, and he held up his hand for a moment or two in the hope that
Ned might see it, though where he hid it was impossible to say.

Slight as was the movement of the raised hand it was seen, for the
biggest pig, a rough