the spot where I could see something moving. At the same
time I tried to find where Jack Penny was hiding, but he was out of
sight.

At the risk of being seen I rose up a little so as to try and get a
glimpse of the coming enemy; but though the movement among the bushes
was plain enough I only caught one glimpse of a black body, and had I
been disposed to shoot it was too quick for me and was gone in an
instant.

They were coming nearer, and in an agony of excitement I was thinking of
attempting to back away and try to reach the cave, when I felt that I
could not get Jack Penny and the black to act with me unless I showed
myself, and this meant revealing our position, and there all the time
were the enemy steadily making their way right towards us.

"What shall I do?" I said to myself as I realised in a small way what
must be the feelings of a general who finds that the battle is going
against him. "I must call to Jack Penny."

"_Cooey_!" rang out just then from a little way to my right, and Jimmy
looked up from his hiding-place.

"Is Carstairs there?" cried the familiar voice of the doctor, and as
with beating heart I sprang up, he came staggering wearily towards me
through the clinging bushes.

"My dear boy," he cried, with his voice trembling, "what I have suffered
on your account! I thought you were a prisoner."

"No!" I exclaimed, delighted at this turn in our affairs. "Jimmy
helped me to escape. I say, you don't think I ran away and deserted
you?"

"My dear boy," he cried, "I was afraid that you would think this of me.
But there, thank Heaven you are safe! and though we have not rescued
your father we know enough to make success certain."

"I'm afraid not," I said hastily. "The savages have discovered our
hiding-place."

"No!"

"Yes; and one of them was approaching it just now when Jack Penny shot
him down."

"This is very unfortunate! Where? What! close here?"

I had taken his hand to lead him to the clump of bushes where the poor
wretch lay, and on parting the boughs and twigs we both started back in
horror.

"My boy, what have you done?" cried the doctor, as I stood speechless
there by his side. "We have not so many friends that we could afford to
kill them."

But already he was busy, feeling the folly of wasting words, and down
upon his knees, to place the head of our friend, the prisoner of the
savages, in a more comfortable position before beginning to examine him
for his wo