"That's right. It's the sound of water. Go to sleep again and dream
of old England, the best medicine you could have."

"I think I will," said Venning; and, with a sigh, he pulled the
kaross over him, being too tired out to wonder how it came there.

"Sleep well, lad, sleep well;" and the big hand rested on the boy's
shoulder to comfort him with its touch, but the man's face was
turned with a straining expression towards the exit which he had
last inspected, for it seemed to him that he had seen a streak of
light, such as would be thrown in advance by a torch.

To his relief. Venning dropped off once more into a deep slumber,
and he bent forward, alert in every fibre. He was not mistaken.
There was a light over in the dark, not a light that sparkled, but a
greenish glow, not unlike the eye of an animal as seen at night in
the reflection of a bull's-eye lantern. It moved, too, like the eye
of an animal, and presently other lights gathered around and at the
back, giving off no radiance, not bright enough to throw up into
relief the objects that produced them, but watchful, like the eyes
of a pack of wild-dogs regarding their prey. The Hunter tried an
experiment. Feeling for his great knife, he struck a stone, and
watched to see if there was any movement of surprise which would
indicate that there were living creatures aware of his presence.
There was no such movement. Like bits of dull green glass with a
light behind, these mysterious points remained as they had been,
moving gently as if to the action of respiration. He raised his
rifle, tempted to fire under the feeling of nervous suspense that
tried his iron nerves, but lowered it at once, with a glance down at
the dark form at his side. He would wait; and he sat watching the
things, whatever they were, that seemed to be watching him with such
cold and silent intentness. Then he made out that they were not
animals. The eyes of animals blink, and these did not. Moreover,
any animal, however fierce, would turn its eyes away at times; but
these remained staring. What were they? He had seen fungus glow like
that in the forest, but never so many together. And then he strained
his ears to gather from any sound an inkling of their nature, but,
beyond the bellowings and the sullen roar, he could hear nothing.
How long could he stand the suspense? Already he felt a strong
impulse to jump up, to shout, to break up that fixed regard, to come
to the death-grapple, if need be, r