eeding was to keep him
covered by my rifle, so that, should he make any movement, I might again
shoot. Presently I saw him swaying backwards and forwards as if his
strength was leaving him; still he growled as fiercely as before. I
moved slightly, so as to get a better aim at him. He thought, perhaps,
that I was about to fly, for he stepped onto another bough.

Now was my opportunity; I fired, and down he came with a crash, breaking
away several rotten boughs, until he reached a quantity of dead wood,
where he struggled in vain to rise. Having reloaded, I dashed forward,
and, lifting the girl in my arms, bore her towards a party of her
friends, who had stopped, gazing horror-stricken at what was taking
place. They received her with loud cries of grief, supposing her to be
dead. She, in a short time, began to breathe, and, opening her eyes,
gazed round with a scared and terrified look, then she clung to her
companion, shrieking out, as she caught sight of me standing by--"Save
me, save me!" Apparently she for a moment supposed that I was the being
who had carried her off. Her friends, however, were apparently doing
their best to reassure her; and at length, pointing to me, they made her
understand that I was the person who had saved her from the grasp of the
monster ape, which they pointed out lying dead beneath the tree. They
then all came round me, and I had no doubt from the signs they made and
their looks, that they were expressing their gratitude for the service I
had rendered them in saving the young girl.

I tried in return to make them understand how glad I was that I had done
so. I was now able more particularly to remark the appearance of the
damsel. She was young, and for a negress remarkably pretty. As she
recovered she took my hand and placed it, on her head as a sign, I
supposed, that she was much obliged to me for saving her. I tried to
make out whether the girls belonged to King Sanga Tanga's village. When
I mentioned his name they all clapped their hands and pointed to the
girl whom they called Iguma. In consequence of this action I began to
hope that she was in some way related to him, perhaps his daughter, in
which case my friends and I were likely to be better treated than we
could otherwise have expected.

As far as I could judge from the signs the girls made, I understood that
the village was not far off. Having picked up the baskets and refilled
them with the fruit which had been