is awful place with their groans in my ears. I'll risk releasing
them, and perhaps they may help me."

His resolution was made and adhered to in spite of the obvious delay and
danger it would cause. But he had a soft heart, and could not bear to
think of such misery. Turning aside he slipped down between two of the
houses and came to a foetid stream, in which, no doubt, lay the bodies
of many of yesterday's victims. He crossed it in safety, standing back
a little way and jumping as far as possible into the darkness. Then
there were other houses to pass, and another row of dying embers, before
none of which could he see a single Ashanti. They were all abed, and
the only denizens of this loathsome place who were awake were a few
stray mongrel curs, one of which started from its lair beside one of the
houses, and hearing the thud of Dick's feet as he landed on the far side
of the stream, set up a loud barking, which was taken up almost
instantly by a score of others elsewhere. But suddenly a gruff voice
from within one of the huts commanded silence, and the baying ceased.

"Then I can go on," said Dick. "I thought it was going to lead to more
trouble, for if the dogs were to sight me they would follow, making
enough noise to awake the whole of the town. Here we are. Here is the
forest, and I fancy I am in the right direction."

It was still very dark, and, in fact, had it not been for the many
fires, he would hardly have found his way as he had done. Perhaps he
would have blundered against one of the huts, or even come upon some
wanderer. Not that he would therefore have been discovered to be an
escaping prisoner. He would have carried out his _role_ of being the
half-caste, and if that failed there was the revolver. But fortune
favoured our hero on this occasion, and in a little while he gained the
forest and plunged into its black depths. Groping his way blindly
through it, striking his shins against fallen boughs and trunks of
trees, and sometimes almost breaking his head against similar
obstructions, he finally found himself on a native path, along which the
way was easy.

"A piece of great luck," he thought, "and this probably leads to the
spot where the poor fellows are imprisoned. I'll keep along for a
little, and then give them a whistle."

But he had no need to do that, for after a little while, when he had
traversed some fifty yards or more, the same miserable groan came to his
ear, and gave