occur to us to take care."

They were now walking over the ground they had that morning traversed,
Ali seeming so much at ease, and smiling so nonchalantly, that his
companions ceased to trouble him with advice and proposals that he
should be carried.

At last they came to a spot where a fresh track turned off, and Ali
paused.

"You will not think me rude," he said, speaking with all the ease of a
polished gentleman, "if I leave you here? Ismael will take you the
nearest way down to the island. Yusuf will go with me. My leg is bad."

"Then let us carry you," cried Bob. "Here, we'll soon cut down some
bamboos and make a frame."

"No, no, it is not so bad as that," cried the young man, firmly; "and I
would rather walk. This is a nearer way, and you will do as I ask,
please."

The two youths hesitated, but Ali was so firm, and his utterances so
decided, that although unwillingly, they felt constrained to obey his
wishes.

"No, no," exclaimed Bob, "let me go with you, old fellow. Let us both
come."

"Do you wish to serve me more than you have already done?" said Ali,
quietly.

"Yes, I do, 'pon my word," replied Bob.

"Then please say `good-bye.' I am very nearly at home."

There was nothing more to be said, so the young Englishmen shook hands
and parted from their companion, after he had promised to send word by
Yusuf the next day how he was.

"I don't half feel satisfied," said Bob, trudging along behind the Malay
who was their guide. "I think we ought to have gone with him, Tom."

"I feel so too," was the reply, "but what could we do? Perhaps he was
not so very much hurt after all."

They were tired now, and the heat of the afternoon seemed greater than
ever, so that they longed to get out of the stifling forest to the open
banks of the river. But they were as yet far away, and their guide made
a cut along the side of a patch of marshy ground, looking back from time
to time to see if they followed.

"Snipe, by all that's wonderful!" cried Bob, firing two barrels almost
as he spoke, and bringing down four birds out of a flock that bore some
resemblance to, but were double the size of, snipes.

Tom raised his piece for a shot, but he was too late; and Yusuf smiled
and showed his teeth as he ran and picked up the birds, tied their legs
together with some grass, and added them to the jungle-fowl he was
carrying.

"Well, they won't be able to laugh at us," said Bob. "We shan't go back
empty.