xhaustion, and the heat
of the now well-advanced day were beginning to tell on him. The
apathy threatened to become so settled that it was a mercy when
Bolter presently stumbled so badly that Eustace had to rouse
himself to hold on. Then it was that he noticed straight before him
at last a wide gleam of light amongst the stems of the trees.

The sight put such life and spirit into him that he whipped up the
now drooping Bolter, who also had just cause to reflect on no
breakfast and general ill-usage, and they covered the ground as
fast as possible, considering how unequal it was, how thick the
undergrowth in parts.

A disappointment and a great surprise awaited the pair when they
emerged into this open space--it was nothing but a clearing in the
wood after all, dotted about with queer-shaped huts scarcely as
tall as a man, and all made of pliable branches of trees
interwoven with grass for walls.

Eustace pulled up short in breathless dismay, for a few paces away
there arose from among these untidy "humpies" some twenty
natives--erect, alert, all with poised boomerangs or spears ready
to fling. It was a sinister reception for one small boy on a spent
horse. Of course the keen-eared black-fellows had heard him coming
from miles away, and were ready.

It was small wonder, considering his condition, that after one
wild, appealing glance at the line of fierce, dark faces Eustace
fell forward on Bolter's neck in a dead faint. He did not see the
weapons lowered, or the gleam of something like grim amusement on
the chief's face as he realized for what it was they had been so
elaborately prepared.

Out of the huts crept stealthy figures of women and children. When
Eustace opened his eyes he found himself lying flat on his back
with these people crowding inquisitively around. He looked up into
their repulsively heavy faces with a horror of realization. For
some moments he was too paralyzed to stir. No more awful fate could
have befallen him than this--it was the sort of thing that might
come to one in a nightmare. But he knew it was no dream. There
stood Bolter a few paces away, grazing thankfully, and in no way
perturbed.

The harsh guttural language these people spoke was unintelligible
to the boy, but he could guess they were intensely curious about
him from the way they pointed and stared. It seemed to him that
some of them could never have seen a white child before, they were
so excited, especially the children, w