course I did," I replied quietly, though I felt very uncomfortable.

"Thank you!" he said quietly, and then he turned away.

"Black fellow hear powder bang," said Jimmy, grinning. "Tink um big
bunyip. All go way now."

I turned to him sharply, listening the while.

"Yes: all go 'long. Tink bunyip. Kill um dead. No kill bunyip. Oh
no!"

There was the sound of voices, but they were more distant, and then they
seemed to come up the rift in quite a broken whisper, and the next
moment they had died away.

"Safe, doctor!" I said, and we all breathed more freely than before.

The blacks had gone. Evidently they believed that the occupant of the
cave had expired in that final roar, and when we afterwards crept
cautiously round after a detour the next morning, it was to find that
the place was all open, and for fifty yards round the bushes and
tree-ferns torn down and burned.

The night of our escape we hardly turned from our positions, utterly
exhausted as we were, and one by one we dropped asleep.

When I woke first it was sometime in the night, and through the trees
the great stars were glinting down, and as I lay piecing together the
adventures of the past day I once more fell fast asleep to be awakened
by Jimmy in the warm sunlight of a glorious morning.

"All black fellow gone long way. Come kedge fis an fine 'nana."

I rose to my feet to see that the doctor was busy with his patient, who
was none the worse for the troubles of the past day, and what was of
more consequence, he was able to speak slowly and without running off
into the native tongue.

We went down to the stream, Jack Penny bearing us company, and were
pretty fortunate in cutting off some good-sized fish which were sunning
themselves in a shallow, and Ti-hi and his companions were no less
successful in getting fruit, so that when we returned we were able to
light a fire and enjoy a hearty meal.

What I enjoyed the most, though, was a good lave in the clear cold water
when we had a look at the mouth of the cave.

The doctor came to the conclusion that where we were, shut-in by high
shelving sand rocks, was as safe a spot as we could expect, the more so
that the blacks were not likely to come again, so we made this our camp,
waiting to recruit a little and to let the black village settle down
before making any farther attempt. Beside this there was our new
companion--William Francis he told us his name was, and that he had been
ten ye