when the wind brings
it down to them, miles away."

"Dis way now, sah," Jim said, turning off to the left, at right
angles to the course which they had been pursuing. "Smell come down
the wind, dat's sartin. We follow him far enough, we sure to catch
dem."

For fully two miles, Reuben followed the black without speaking.
Then he said:

"I don't smell any smoke, Jim. Are you quite sure you are right
about it?"

"Quite sure, sah. De smoke much stronger than he was. Some of dese
bushes make very sharp smell; can smell him very far away."

"That's all right, Jim, on we go then. I must take your word for
it."

After another half-an-hour's walking, Reuben thought that he too
could smell an odour of burning wood and, soon afterwards, he
became convinced that it was so. The ground on which they were
crossing was slightly undulated and, on nearing the crest of one of
the slight rises, Jim said:

"De smoke am getting strong now, sah; and Jim can hear de bleating
of de sheep. If de captain will wait here, Jim will go on ahead,
and find out where dey lie."

"But perhaps you won't be able to find us again."

"Der no fear of dat, sah. But if I not come straight back, I give a
little whistle-like this--when I get on to a rise; and if the
captain answer in just the same way, then I come straight back to
him."

So saying, Jim glided away in the darkness; while Reuben gave the
word for the men to halt, and lie down till his return. There was,
however, no occasion for a signal for, in little over half an hour
from the time of Jim's leaving, he rejoined them again; his coming
being unnoticed until he stood among them, so noiseless were his
footsteps.

"We hab dem dis time, sure enough, captain."

"Why, is that you, Jim? You quite startled me. Well, what is your
news?"

"De black fellows and de sheep are a little over a mile away, sah.
Dey got a big fire down in a bottom. Some of dem eating still, but
most of dem fast asleep round de fire."

"How many are there of them?"

"About fifty, sah--at least, dat about the number Jim saw. I expect
I was right when I tell you dat there was well nigh a hundred, at
fust. Some ob them go off wid de sheep, de odder way, and we kill
over twenty in dat fight."

"Do you think we killed so many as that, Jim?"

"I went round, sah, and counted sixteen of dem; and some sure to
have crawl away and die in de bush. Dere were over twenty killed
altogether, for sure; and I specks dat some