re silenced; and after a minute or two, we heard our
friend the Englishman respond in a deprecating voice, and apparently
plead for mercy.

Then the chief savage spoke again in stern tones, there was a buzz of
voices once more, and the savages seemed to file out and cross the
opening towards the other side of the village.

We dared not move, but remained there listening, not knowing but that a
guard might have been left; but at the end of a minute or two our friend
was back at our side, to say excitedly:

"I want to help you, but my head--I forget--I cannot speak sometimes--I
cannot think. It is all dark here--here--in my mind. Why have you
come?"

"We are friends," said the doctor. "Where is Mr Carstairs?"

"Carstairs?--Mr Carstairs?" he said. "Ah--"

He began to speak volubly in the savage tongue now, tantalising me so
that I grasped his arm, exclaiming fiercely:

"Speak English. Where is my father?"

I could hardly see his face, but there was light enough to tell that he
turned towards me, and he stopped speaking, and seemed to be
endeavouring to comprehend what I said.

"My father--the prisoner," I said again, with my lips now to his ear.

"Prisoner? Yes. At the great hut--the chief's hut--"

He began speaking again volubly, and then stopped and bent his head.

"At the chief's hut?" said the doctor excitedly. "Wait a moment or two
to give him time to collect himself, then ask him again."

The poor dazed creature turned to the doctor now, and bent towards him,
holding him by the arm this time.

"Chief's hut? Yes: right across. There."

He pointed in the direction the savages seemed to have taken, and from
whence we could hear the voices rising and falling in busy speech.

My heart leaped, for we knew now definitely where he whom we sought was
kept, and the longing, impatient sensation there came upon me to be face
to face with him was so strong that I could hardly contain myself.

"Let us get round there at once," I whispered, "Here, Jimmy."

There was no answer: Jimmy had crept away.

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

HOW I NEARLY MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE.

We tried several times over to get our friend to speak, but the result
was only a voluble burst of words in a tongue we could not comprehend,
while all the time he seemed to be aware of his failing, and waved his
hands and stretched them out to us as if begging us to forgive him for
his weakness.

"Let him be, Joe," whispered the doct