; iss Jimmy see um. Shut up all along. Sittum down, um look at
ground all sleep, sleep like wallaby, wallaby."

"He means the poor fellow who helped us to escape," I said sadly.

"Jimmy see Mass Joe fader," cried the black indignantly. "Jimmy take um
right long show um."

"The man who brought us here?"

"No, no, no, no!" cried Jimmy, dancing with vexation. "Not, not. Jimmy
see um Mass Joe fader sit all along. See froo hole. Big long beard
down um tummuck--long hair down um back. Um shake um head so, so. Say
`hi--hi--ho--hum. Nev see home again. Ah, my wife! Ah, my boy!'"

"You heard him say that, Jimmy?" I cried, catching him by the arm.

"Jimmy sure, sure. Jimmy look froo hole. Den fro little tone an hit
um, and den black fellow come along, and Jimmy lay fas' sleep, eye shut,
no move bit."

"He has seen him, Joe," cried the doctor. "He could not have invented
that."

There was a low whining growl here again from Gyp, and Jack Penny
drawled:

"I say, sha'n't we all be made prisoners if we stop here?"

"Quick!" said the doctor; "follow me."

"And our guide?" I cried.

"We must come in search of him another time. If he has been with the
blacks for long he will know how to protect himself."

I was unwilling to leave one who had helped us in such a time of need;
but to stay meant putting ourselves beyond being able to rescue my
father, if it were really he who was our guide's fellow-prisoner. The
result, of course, was that I followed the doctor, while a snuffling
whine now and then told us that Gyp was on in front, and, in spite of
the darkness, leading the way so well that there seemed to be no
difficulty.

"Where are we going?" I said, after a pause, during which we had been
listening to the cries of the savages, which appeared to come from
several directions.

"To our hiding-place," said the doctor. "Jimmy found it before we lost
him, and we have kept to it since, so as to be near you."

"But how did you know you were near me?" I said.

"Through Gyp first. He went away time after time, and I suspected that
he had found you, so one day we followed him and he led us to the
village."

"Yes?" I said.

"Then we had to wait. I sent messages to you by him; and at last I got
your answer. To-night we were coming again to try and reach you,
perhaps get you away. We meant to try. I should not have gone back
without you, my lad," he said quietly.

The cries now seemed distant,