es tripped him up, or were so woven across
his path that he had to leap over them, when the upper boughs beat and
lashed his face; but still he tore on, with his pursuers close behind.
He could hear their shouts, and almost distinguish their breathing, as
they panted on close behind him.

It was terrible work, and he felt himself at this disadvantage, that he
was clearing the way down the little-used jungle-path for his pursuers,
while every now and then he stepped into an elephant-hole, and nearly
fell heavily. The tracks left by the huge beasts were in places very
deep, but somehow Ali seemed to save himself just as he was on the point
of falling.

On still through the intense darkness, and his pursuers close behind.
The nearest, he seemed to feel, was the leader of the party; and as he
listened to his heavy breathing, and fancied that the man was gaining
upon him, the keen kris he held in his hand nearly grazed his shoulder.

A dozen times over, with the desperation of some hunted beast, Ali would
have turned at bay and faced this man, but he knew that it meant death
or capture, for the others were close behind, while he was quite
unarmed.

And what did death or capture mean? The destruction or those whom he
was trying to save.

Feeling this, he toiled on, with heart throbbing, his breath coming
thickly, and his limbs growing more heavy moment by moment. At first he
had bounded along like a frightened deer, but the terrible nature of the
jungle through which he was struggling soon began to tell upon him, and
the bounding pace settled down into a weary trot.

There was this, however, in his favour; the ground was very bad for his
pursuers, and though eager to overtake him, they were not moved by the
same intense desire as himself.

On still, and he was once more nearly down. Something lashed his face,
then he tripped again once more, and the jungle, as he staggered up,
seemed to grow more intensely dark. That vindictive enemy was close
behind, and he had struck at him twice with his keen weapon. Then, as
he panted on, he came upon first one and then another animal, which
bounded away into close growth, while the poor hunted wretch could
hardly drag one leg before the other.

Still he struggled on through the darkness, till feeling his pursuer
close at hand, he roused all his remaining strength and leaped forward,
caught his foot in a mass of interwoven creeping plants, and fell. He
made one effort to