s if you did. S'pose the trees kep' it
off at times. But all right, gentlemen, I shall soon hit it off, and
we'll get to the boat, have a good feed, and go to work again. Don't
look down, Mr Rob, sir! How do we know as Mr Jovanni isn't there
already waiting for us?"

Rob shook his head.

"Ah, you don't know, sir. Seems queer, don't it, to get so lost! but it
ain't the fust time. I've known men go into the forest only a score of
yards or so and be completely gone, every step they took carrying 'em
farther away and making 'em lose their heads till their mates found
'em."

"Stop! Which way are you going now?"

"This way," said Shaddy.

"But that's back--the way we came."

Shaddy laughed, and without another word forced his way again in among
the trees.

"I give up," said Brazier in despair. "It is too confusing for ordinary
brains. I could have taken an oath that he was wrong."

He answered a whistle, and they stood waiting till the crackling and
rustling made by their guide's passage ceased.

"I couldn't have believed that we came so far," said Rob, breaking the
silence.

"I don't think we did come very far, Rob," replied Brazier; "it is only
that the place is so hopelessly puzzling and intricate. Time is getting
on, too. We must not be overtaken by the night."

Rob could hardly repress a shudder, and, to make the dismal look of the
narrow space, darkened by close-clustering trees, more impressive, the
peculiar exaggerated cat-like call of the beast they had heard or
another of its kind rang out hollowly apparently not very far-away.

Almost simultaneously, though, came Shaddy's whistle, and this was
answered and repeated steadily at some little distance, but at last
growing quite faint.

As they were waiting for the next call there was a rustling sound
overhead, which took their attention, but for some time nothing but
moving leaves could be made out in the subdued light, till all at once
Brazier pointed to a spot some fifty feet above them, and at last Rob
caught sight of the object which had taken his companion's attention.

"Looking down and watching us," he said quickly, as he gazed at the
peculiar little dark, old-looking face which was suddenly withdrawn,
thrust out again, and finally disappeared.

"There is quite a party of monkeys up there, Rob," said Brazier; "and
the tree-tops are thoroughly alive with birds, but they are silent
because we are here. Ahoy!" he shouted as Shaddy no