other through the heavy leafage. It was distinctly
unpleasant, for Meredith felt that the animal was not afraid of him,
and did not fully understand the situation. The respective positions of
hunter and hunted were imperfectly defined. He had hitherto confined his
attentions to such game as showed a sporting readiness to run away, and
there was a striking novelty in this unseen beast of the forest, fresh,
as it were, from the hands of its Creator, that entered into the fun of
the thing from a totally mistaken standpoint.

Once Meredith was able to decide approximately the whereabouts of his
prey by the momentary shaking of a twig. He raised his rifle and covered
that twig steadily; his forefinger played tentatively on the trigger;
but on second thoughts he refrained. He was keenly conscious of the fact
that the beast was doing its work with skill superior to his own. In
comparison to his, its movements were almost noiseless. Jack Meredith
was too clever a man to be conceited in the wrong place, which is
the habit of fools. He recognised very plainly that he was not
distinguishing himself in this new field of glory; he was not yet an
accomplished big-game hunter.

Twice he raised his rifle with the intention of firing at random into
the underwood on the remote chance of bringing his enemy into the open.
But the fascination of this duel of cunning was too strong, and he crept
onwards with bated breath.

It was terrifically hot, and all the while Night was stalking westward
on the summits of the trees with stealthy tread.

While absorbed in the intricacies of pursuit--while anathematising
tendrils and condemning thorns to summary judgment--Jack Meredith was
not losing sight of his chance of getting back to the little village
of Msala. He knew that he had only to follow the course of the stream
downwards, retracing his steps until a junction with the Ogowe river was
effected. In the meantime his lips were parted breathlessly, and there
was a light in the quiet eyes which might have startled some of his
well-bred friends could they have seen it.

At last he came to an open space made by a slip of the land into the
bed of the river. When Jack Meredith came to this he stepped out of the
thicket and stood in the open, awaiting the approach of his stealthy
prey. The sound of its footfall was just perceptible, slowly diminishing
the distance that divided them. Then the trees were parted, and a tall,
fair man stepped forward