the far hut and he is not there!" he whispered. "I came
back to this and crept in unobserved. They are all talking about an
expedition that has gone off to the back of the cave--to destroy us.
Carstairs is in there, bound hand and foot."

"My poor father!" I moaned.

"I spoke to him and told him help was near," continued Mr Francis; "and
then--"

He muttered something in the savages' tongue, and then broke down and
began to sob.

"Take no notice," the doctor whispered to me, as I stood trembling
there, feeling as I did that I was only a few yards from him we had come
to save, and who was lying bound there waiting for the help that seemed
as if it would never come.

The doctor realised my feelings, for he came a little closer and pressed
my hand.

"Don't be downhearted, my lad," he whispered; "we are a long way nearer
to our journey's end than when we started."

"Yes!" I said; "but--"

"But! Nonsense, boy! Why, we've found your father. We know where he
is; and if we can't get him away by stratagem, we'll go to another tribe
of the blacks, make friends with them, and get them to fight on our
side."

"Nonsense, doctor!" I said bitterly. "You are only saying this to
comfort me."

"To get you to act like a man," he said sharply. "Shame upon you for
being so ready to give up in face of a few obstacles!"

I felt that the rebuke was deserved, and drew in my breath, trying to
nerve myself to bear this new disappointment, and to set my brain at
work scheming.

It seemed to grow darker just then, the stars fading out behind a thick
veil of clouds; and creeping nearer to the doctor I sat down beside
where he knelt, listening to the incessant talking of the savages.

We were not above half-a-dozen yards from the back of the great hut;
and, now rising into quite an angry shout, now descending into a low
buzz, the talk, talk, talk went on, as if they were saying the same
things over and over again.

I thought of my own captivity--of the way in which Gyp had come to me in
the night, and wondered whether it would be possible to cut away a
portion of the palm-leaf wall of the hut, and so get to the prisoner.

And all this while the talking went on, rising and falling till it
seemed almost maddening to hear.

We must have waited there quite a couple of hours, and still there was
no change. Though we could not see anything for the hut in front of us
we could tell that there was a good deal of excitement in