is feet. "It was a tight squeeze, old chap!"

"You bet. Let's see how bad the men were hurt."

They joined the group. The gored man had an ugly wound in his side. The
other had hung to the horns of the buffalo, and beyond a slash in the
arm and a few broken ribs, was in no serious danger. The two were placed
in the wagon, where the doctor gave them much needed attention.

"I'm going to get away from here," said the explorer. "Bakari, you did
nobly! Gholab, Guru, and the rest of you, I can only say that I am proud
of you--more proud than ever. Shake hands!"

Smiling broadly, the bearded Indians obeyed, after which the boys shook
hands also.

"It was good work, sahib," declared the Sikh gravely. "We are men, all
of us. Such a fight will make great telling when we get back!"

Von Hofe received his full share of the praise, for his bird-shot had
contributed no little to the rout of the giant buffaloes. He, however,
was already busy with his camera, and only the assurance of Schoverling
that they could get a skin at another time got him to his horse. Half
an hour later they were away from the scene of the battle, to which the
kites and vultures were already flocking through the sky.

"We won't go far," announced the leader. "I don't mind confessing that
I'm pretty badly shaken up and want to rest for the remainder of the
day. We got out of that scrape almighty well, boys, if you want to know
it!"

"Guess we did," returned Charlie with an uneasy glance around. "I won't
forget that for many a long day! If the Indians hadn't stood by us--"

He did not need to finish, and the explorer nodded. Two miles farther
on, and a mile from the river; they halted beside a little creek. They
had learned the value of a big tree, and the oxen were outspanned around
a spreading fig-tree of gigantic size. The Masai built a zareba around,
and for the rest of the afternoon they stayed quietly recuperating from
the terrible exertions of that battle. In the evening great fires were
built and the traps set out again.

Nothing disturbed them that night. They slept in their blankets under
the shelter of the giant tree, but as they rolled up--von Hofe being on
guard for the first three hours--Jack whispered to Charlie.

"If we struck a herd of them fellows while we were down on low
ground--good-bye!"

"You shut up and go to sleep," retorted Charlie. "Every time I close my
eyes I think of those tossin' heads. I don't want to dream about the