lter in the woods.

It was the first time that the young student's manhood had been put
severely to the test. There was a rush of hot blood to his forehead,
and his heart beat powerfully as he saw and realised the hopelessness of
their case with such tremendous odds against them.

"We can die but once," he said with forced calmness, as he cocked his
gun and prepared to defend himself.

"I's not a-goin' to die at all," said the negro, hastily tightening his
belt, "I's a-goin' to squatilate."

"And you?" said Mark, turning to the seaman.

"Run, says I, of coorse," replied Hockins, with something between a grin
and a scowl; "ye know the old song--him wot fights an' runs away, may
live to fight another day!"

"Come along, then!" cried Mark, who felt that whether they fought or ran
he was bound to retain the leadership of his little party.

As we have seen, they ran to some purpose. No doubt if they had started
on equal terms, the lithe, hardy, and almost naked savages would have
soon overtaken them, but fortunately a deep gully lay between them and
the party of natives who had first observed them. Before this was
crossed the fugitives were over the second ridge of rolling land that
lay between the thick woods and the sea, and when the savages at last
got upon their track and began steadily to overhaul them, the white men
had got fairly into the forest.

Still there would have been no chance of ultimate escape if they had not
come upon the footpath down the precipice which we have described as
having been partly carried away by falling rocks, thus enabling Hockins
and his companions to make a scramble for life which no one but a
sailor, a monkey, or a hero, would have dared, and the impossibility of
even attempting which never occurred to the pursuers, who concluded, as
we have seen, that the white men had been dashed to pieces on the rocks
far below.

Whether they afterwards found out their mistake or not we cannot tell.

The reason--long afterwards ascertained--of this unprovoked attack on
the boat's crew, was the old story. A party of godless white men had
previously visited that part of the coast and treated the poor natives
with great barbarity, thus stirring up feelings of hatred and revenge
against _all_ white men--at least for the time being. In this way the
innocent are too often made to suffer for the guilty.

We will now return to our friends in the tree.

CHAPTER THREE.

DESCRIBES THE DEE