wide open and gazing upon the light of heaven! It was an awful
situation--a fearful fate that threatened him!

It would not be true to say that Ossaroo remained silent during all this
terrible trial. He did nothing of the kind; on the contrary, as soon as
he became aware of his danger, he set up a continuous screaming, and
yelling, and shrill piping, that caused both the woods and rocks to ring
around him, to the distance of a mile at least.

Fortunately for the shikarree, Caspar chanced to be within the
circumference of that mile, wandering about with his gun. The quick ear
of the hunter caught the sounds, and knew that they were signals of
distress. Without a moment's delay, therefore, he set off; and, guided
by the cries, soon arrived upon the ground.

It was some time, however, before Ossaroo was relieved from his perilous
position, for although Caspar could wade in to his side, he was quite
unable to drag him out of the sand. In fact, Caspar himself sank so
rapidly, whenever he stood still, that he was compelled to keep
constantly moving, and changing from one foot to the other. His
strength, then, was quite unequal to the task, and both began to be
uneasy about the result.

Up to this time Caspar had been laughing heartily at the ludicrous
spectacle which Ossaroo presented, with only his head above the water,
and his face wearing the most lugubrious of looks; but Caspar's mirth
was soon dissipated, when he perceived the real danger in which the
shikarree was placed; his laughter was brought abruptly to an end, and
an expression of anxiety now clouded his countenance.

But Caspar was just the one for quick thought and action in a ease of
danger like this, and, almost in an instant, he conceived a plan by
which Ossaroo might be saved. Crying to the latter to keep still, he
dashed out of the water and loosed the net at both ends. He then drew
out the long rope that formed its upper border, cutting away the meshes
and floats. This done, he rapidly climbed the great tree, and sprawled
out along one of its horizontal limbs that stretched right over the
place where the shikarree was fixed. He had taken the rope along with
him; and, now throwing one end to Ossaroo, and directing him to fasten
it around his body, he passed the other over the branch, and slipped
down it into the water.

In a few seconds the rope was made fast upon the body of Ossaroo--just
under his armpits--and then both laid hold of the