e must be better, so I'll let him be; but we
can't stop here. I must try and get him through the trees and away from
this horrible noise. But I can't do it now. At least, I don't think I
can. Then, what's next?"

The inaudible reply to the question came from somewhere inside, and he
bent closer over Punch once more.

"Aren't you hungry?" he roared in his ear.

The boy shook his head.

"Well, I am," shouted Pen.--"Oh, how stupid! This is like telling the
enemy where we are, if they are anywhere within hearing. Hullo, what
does this mean?" For he suddenly caught sight of the goat springing
from stone to stone low down the stream as if coming to their side of
the rushing water; and with the thought filling his mind that a tame
goat like this must have an owner who was more likely to be an enemy of
strangers than a friend, Pen began searching the rugged slopes on both
sides of the river, but in vain. The goat, which had crossed, was now
coming slowly towards them, appearing to be quite alone, though soon
proving itself to be quite accustomed to the presence of human beings,
for it ended by trotting over the sand and shingle at the river's edge
till it had approached them quite closely, to stand bleating at them,
doubtless imploringly, though no sound was heard.

This lasted for a few minutes, and then the goat moved away, passing
Punch, and disappearing upward through the dense growth, and apparently
making its way up by the side of the great fall.

No sooner was it out of sight than a thought struck Pen; and, making a
sign to his companion that meant "I won't be long," he shouldered his
rifle and began to climb upwards in the direction taken by the goat.

He was beginning to regret now that he had not started sooner, for there
was no sign of the little beast, and he was about to turn when, just to
his right, he noted faint signs of what seemed to be a slightly used
track which was easy to follow, and, stepping out, he observed the trees
were more open, and at the end of a few minutes he found himself level
with the top of the falls, where the river was gliding along in a deep,
glassy sheet before making its plunge over the smooth, worn rocks into a
basin below.

He had just grasped this when he saw that the faint track bore off to
the right, and caught sight of the goat again moving amongst the trees,
and for the next few minutes he had no difficulty in keeping it in
sight, and, in addition, finding that i