and take her away, and must take the Duca away so that
he cannot influence the men any more. And she keeps repeating that we
must hurry."

"And you can't find out what we must rescue Naida _from_?"

Ivana shook her head.

"I'm afraid we're facing something of an appalling nature, as dangerous
to ourselves as to Naida. But I know nothing more."

By the time the silver glow which corresponded to moonlight flooded the
jungle, Gori had left the open trail, and was leading them across
country which humans could not have negotiated without the guidance she
offered. Advancing cautiously always, she stopped for long seconds at a
time to reconnoitre, shifting her huge ears about and changing their
shape, twitching her nostrils, and glancing hither and thither with
bright little eyes. Sometimes they passed immense spike-tipped flowers
ten feet in diameter, with fleshy yellow leaves which gave out a
nauseating stench. Vines with long, recurved thorns and blossoms of deep
scarlet, laced the undergrowth together and made passing dangerous.
Fire-flies drifted past, and all above and about them flapped moths as
big as bats.

Kirby, his clothes almost torn from his body, sweat pouring from every
pore, heard the labored breathing of the girls, and wondered how they
could hang on. But they did, and after a long time, Gori, halting in the
midst of a slight clearing, held up a warning hand.

* * * * *

A queer sensation came over Kirby. As he stared and listened, he
realized that the twinkles he saw far ahead were not fire-flies, as he
had thought, but lights. In the frosted moon glow, Nini and Ivana drew
close, and Kirby clasped their hands and pressed them for a second. Too
tired to exult further he was, even though they seemed close to their
goal of goals.

Gori swung her hairy arm in a signal, and with rifles clasped carefully,
they began to advance. When, five minutes later, they stood in the heart
of a rank glade beyond which they could see nothing, Gori spoke to the
two girls in her creaking whisper, and Nini laid a restraining hand on
Kirby's.

"We have gone as far as Gori dares! She says we must climb a tree here,
and watch what will go on in a clearing just beyond this thicket."

"And we still don't know what we're getting into," Kirby muttered.

But at any rate they had reached the end of their march.

Exultation did come to Kirby now, but still he was too completely
fagged, as were