ll directions, showing
that they had instantly scattered themselves in the pursuit, in order to
increase their chances of intercepting us. We had already traversed the
greater part of the wood that lay between the village and the haunted
cavern, when two negroes, who must have taken a shorter route, descried
us. They instantly uttered a yell of triumph and followed us at full
speed, while from the cries closing in upon us we could tell that the
others had heard and understood the shout. Just then Okandaga's
strength began to fail, and her extreme terror, as the pursuers gained
on us, tended still further to increase her weakness. This was all the
more unfortunate that we were now almost within a couple of hundred
yards of the mouth of the cave.

Makarooroo spoke encouragingly to her, but she was unable to reply, and
it became evident that she was about to sink down altogether. Jack
glanced over his shoulder. The two negroes were within fifty yards of
us, but no others were in sight.

"Hold my gun," said Jack to me sharply.

I seized it. He instantly stooped down, grasped Okandaga round the
waist, and without stopping, swung her, with an exertion of strength
that seemed to me incredible, into his arms. We gained the mouth of the
cavern; Jack dropped Okandaga, who immediately ran in, while the rest of
us stopped abruptly and faced about.

"Back, all of you," cried Jack, "else they will be afraid to come on."

The words had scarcely passed his lips when the two negroes came up, but
halted a few yards from the mouth of the cave on seeing such a giant
form guarding the entrance.

To let those men escape and reveal the place of our concealment was not
to be thought of. Jack darted out upon them. They separated from each
other as they turned to fly. I was peeping out of the cave, and saw
that Jack could not secure them both; I therefore darted out, and
quickly overtaking one, seized him by the hair of the head and dragged
him into the cave with the aid of Peterkin. Jack lifted the other
savage completely from the ground, and carried him in struggling in his
gripe like a child in its nurse's arms.

This last episode was enacted so quickly that the two negroes were
carried into the cavern and gagged before the other pursuers came up.
At the cave's mouth the whole of the men of the village shortly
assembled with the king at their head. Thus far the excitement of the
chase had led them; but now that the first