broke on their
ears. The speakers, whoever they might be, were still distant, and the
formation of the ground prevented our travellers being seen by them.

"Savages!" exclaimed Mark and Hockins in the same breath.

"Hide!" cried Ebony, with a roll of his huge eyes, as he suited the
action to the word, and leaped into the bushes. The others followed his
example, and running about a hundred yards back into the woods, climbed
into the branches of a lofty tree, from which outlook, well screened by
leaves, they saw a band composed of some hundreds of natives walking
smartly over the open plain. From the manner of their approach it was
evident that they searched for some one, and as they made straight for
the cliff where the wounded man lay, it seemed probable that they were
following up his trail.

"We're done for," said Mark, in a tone of despair, as he noted this.

"Why d'ee think so, Doctor?" asked Hockins, who did not by any means
seem to take such a gloomy view of their case.

"Don't you see? Savages can follow up people's trails almost as well as
dogs. They'll easily trace us to the foot of this tree by our
footprints, and then they've only to look up!"

"That's true. I had forgotten that."

"Dere's time to drop down yit, massa, and squatilate," suggested the
negro, excitedly.

Mark shook his head.

"Might as well try to run from tigers as from savages," he returned,
"unless you've got a good start."

"But they ain't all savages, sir," whispered Hockins, as the band drew
nearer. "Some o' the naked black fellows look savage enough, no doubt,
but there's a lot of 'em lightish brown in the skin, an' clothed in fine
though queer garments. They carry themselves, too, like gentlemen.
P'r'aps we'd better go for'ard an' trust them."

"Trust to 'em, 'Ockins!" said Ebony with a decided shake of the head,
"trust men wid _brown_ faces? Nebber!"

The whispered conversation ceased at this point for a loud shout of
surprise mingled with alarm was raised as the band came to the foot of
the cliff and found what appeared to be the dead body of the wounded
man. Evidently they were friends, for while some of them kneeled down
beside the injured hunter to examine him, others gave way to gestures
and exclamations of grief.

Presently the watchers observed that one of those who kneeled beside the
body looked up with a smile and a nod of satisfaction as he pointed to
his chest.

"They've discovered that he's not de