der staggered to his feet growling like some savage beast, and
roared out to his followers to return. His words were unintelligible to
the listeners, but their tones suggested plainly enough that he was
cursing them fiercely and hurling anathemas and threats at them as to
what he would do when he overtook them.

Then, as he found himself left alone, he snatched at the musket again,
but without result, for it was fast in the tangle of twining canes, at
which he tore and tore again till the tough green growth gave way and he
stood up, examining lock and trigger now as if to try and make out
whether the weapon was injured, when he roared again to his men and
stood listening, but without avail.

If he had only turned upon his heels and taken half-a-dozen steps he
must have walked over the hidden party of Englishmen, but the falling
and explosion of the weapon and the flight of his men seemed to have
completely upset his calculations; and hence it was that Murray, after
giving up all hopes of escaping, saw the ruffian stand in the midst of
the silence, snapping the flint and pan of the musket to and fro three
or four times, begin to try and reload the piece without success, and
then shoulder it and start off in search of his followers, now muttering
angrily, now shouting to them again and again, without, however, any
appearance of success.

CHAPTER FORTY ONE.

HUNTED.

"Think he's gone now, Mr Murray, sir?" said Tom May in a whisper.

"I'm afraid to hope for it," replied Murray.

"So'm I, sir," said the man; "but what a toucher! Just think of his
bungling off that old musket and scaring the lot! He may think himself
lucky that he didn't shoot some of 'em."

"Or hisself," growled Titely. "That makes me sure it was the one I was
handling, for it had been strained a bit so as the hammer was a bit
loose. But hadn't we better get on somewhere else for a bit, sir, 'fore
he comes back?"

"I don't think I would, Frank," whispered Roberts sadly. "I'm so weak
and helpless I don't know what to do, and we're just as likely to
blunder against the enemy as they are to come upon us. If I could only
have some water I wouldn't care."

"Just wait for a half-hour or so, sir, and give the beggars a chance to
get a bit further away, and then we'll have a look round and see if we
can't find water, and if we don't come upon any at once we'll see what
we can do in the way of digging some up with the cutlasses."

"Oh, I'll w