hat Peterkin sighed once or twice
very heavily, and I asked him if he was quite well.

"Well? Ay, well enough in body, Ralph, but ill at ease in mind. How
can it be otherwise when we are thus suddenly and unexpectedly about to
take leave of our dear friends the gorillas? I declare my heart is fit
to break."

"I sympathise with you, Peterkin," said I, "for I have not yet made
nearly as many notes in regard to these monster-monkeys as I could have
wished. However, I am thankful for what I have got, and perhaps we may
come back here again one of these days."

"What bloodthirsty fellows!" cried Jack, laughing. "If you talk so, I
fear that Mak and I shall have to cut your acquaintance; for, you see,
he and I have got a _little_ feeling left."

"Well, it's natural, I fancy," observed Peterkin, "that gorillas should
feel for their kindred. However, I console myself with the thought that
the country farther south is much better filled with other game,
although the great puggy is not there. And then we shall come among
lions again, which we can never find, I believe, in the gorilla country.
I wonder if the gorilla has really driven them out of this part of
Africa."

"Some think it probable," observed I, "but we cannot make sure of that
point."

"Well, we can at all events make sure of this point," cried Peterkin, as
we came in sight of our encampment, "that lions are thick enough in the
country whither we are bound; so let's have a good supper, and hurrah
for the south! It's a bright prospect before us. A fair lady to be
saved; possibly a fight with the niggers, and lion, elephant,
rhinoceros, alligator, hippopotamus, and buffalo shooting by way of
relaxation in the intervals of the war!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

AN UNEXPECTED MEETING--WE FLY, AND I MAKE A NARROW ESCAPE FROM AN
APPALLING FATE.

During many days after the incidents narrated in the last chapter did
Jack, and Peterkin, and Makarooroo, and I, push across the continent
through bush and brake, over hill and dale, morass and plain, at our
utmost possible speed. We did not, during the whole course of our
journey, overtake the Portuguese slave-dealer; but we thought little of
that, for it was not very probable that we should hit upon exactly the
same route, and we entertained sanguine hopes that the energy and speed
with which we kept steadily and undeviatingly on our way would enable us
to reach the village of Mbango before the slave-dealer and his p