ted merriment of their more fortunate
comrades.

Without mishap Wilmshurst gained the accommodation-ladder of the
_Zungeru_, where brawny British mercantile seamen, perspiring freely in
the torrid heat, were energetically assisting their black passengers on
board with encouraging shouts of "Up with you, Sambo!" "Mind your nut,
Darkie!" and similar exhortations. The while derricks were swaying in
and out, whipping the baggage from the holds of the lighters that lay
alongside, grinding heavily in the swell, fenders notwithstanding.

Having seen the men of his platoon safely on board Wilmshurst went
below to the two-berthed cabin which he was to share with Laxdale, the
subaltern of No. 2 platoon.

Opening the door Wilmshurst promptly ducked his head to avoid a
sweeping blow with a knotted towel which his brother officer was
wielding desperately and frantically.

"Hullo!" exclaimed Laxdale breathlessly. "Come in and bear a hand.
Hope I didn't flick you."

"What's wrong?" enquired Dudley, eyeing with feelings of apprehension
the sight of the disordered cabin. "Looks as if a Hun four-point-one
had been at work here."

The "traps" of both subalterns were littering the floor in utmost
confusion. Sheets, blankets and mosquito nets had been torn from the
bunks, while a smashed water-bottle and glass bore testimony to the
erratic onslaught of the wildly excited Laxdale.

"Almost wish it had," exclaimed the harassed subaltern. "I was
unpacking my kit when a whopping big rat jumped out of this valise.
I'll swear that rascal of a servant of mine knows all about it. I had
to give him a dressing down yesterday for losing some of my gear.
We'll have to find the animal, Wilmshurst. A rat is my pet
abomination."

"Why not leave the door open?" suggested Dudley.

"An' let the bounder go scot-free?" added Laxdale, a gleam of grim
determination in his eyes. "No jolly fear. We'll lay him out
properly. Here you are, take this."

He handed Wilmshurst a towel roller made of teak, forming a heavy and
effective weapon.

"This is where I think the brute's hiding," continued Laxdale,
indicating a long drawer under the lowermost bunk. "I was stowing some
of my gear away when I spotted him. After five minutes' strafing he
disappeared, but goodness knows how he managed to get through that
little slit. Now stand by."

Entering into the spirit of the chase Dudley knelt down and waited with
poised stick while Laxdale charily