n kittens in
casual places. There was a great hush over everything, when
suddenly across the silence came a sound that set every pulse in
the boy's body astir, so that the beating of his heart almost
choked him. It was a distant but long, clear coo-ee.

Wild with joy Eustace sprang to his feet, but before he could make
a sound he found himself surrounded by a dozen menacing figures,
clubs in hand, ready to fell him if he dared to reply.

Some of the tribes are very secretive and stealthy in their
movements. It was well to be seen that this one did not wish to
have its camping ground divulged.

With a thrill of horror Eustace understood that he was powerless.
To cry out would mean certain death. It might be their intention to
kill him at any rate, but in the postponement lay a chance of
escape. He must meet stealth by stealth.

Again the coo-ee cut through the air, but Eustace covered his face
with his hands and dropped dejectedly back on the ground.

It was a bitter moment. Could anything have been worse than to know
help was at hand, and to be unable to take it?

That a search-party was now out he felt certain; it was probably
his father's voice, and he dared not answer. He had the sense to
see how useless it would be to give one cry, and die for it. But
oh! it was hard--cruelly hard.

It seemed to him those coo-ees went on for hours, each with a long
listening pause after it, sometimes nearer, gradually fading away
and away till they were no louder than the answer he had received
on the banks of the creek.

In addition to the keenness of the disappointment and the terror
that he was losing his last chance of ever getting home again came
the speculation as to what these wild-faced people meant to do with
him, and there leaped to his mind a new and very terrible question.
Was it possible that Bob had come this way? Had they met him with
spears and boomerangs, and dispatched him before he had time to
whip out his revolver? But no. There was still that answering
coo-ee to be accounted for. Perhaps they had only bound him and
made him prisoner till then, undecided what to do with him. It was
possible that on hearing Eustace's coo-ee he had dared the blacks,
and attempted those three faint answers. If so, they had cost him
his life, and the ultimate silence was explained.

Eustace lay shuddering over the thought. He could only keep his
teeth from chattering by holding his jaw tightly in both hands.

How long h