hair, thick, long, and shaggy.
They were of different sizes, and in the largest one he recognised the
abductor of his child.

The second in size, whose form proclaimed it to be a female, was
evidently the wife of the huge man-ape; while the little creature, about
eighteen inches in height--though a perfect miniature likeness of its
parents--was the infant whose squalling had contributed more than
anything else to guide them through the shades of the lagoon.

The old male, perhaps suffering fatigue from its fight with the
crocodile, as well as from the chase he had sustained, crouched upon the
scaffold, seemingly asleep.

The other two were still in motion, the mother at intervals seizing her
hairy offspring, and grotesquely caressing it; then letting it go free
to dance fantastically around the recumbent form of the unconscious
captive child. This it did, amusing itself by now and then tearing off
a strip of the girl's dress, either with its claws or teeth.

It was a spectacle wild, weird, altogether indescribable; and by Captain
Redwood not to be looked upon a moment longer than was necessary to
embrace its details.

Having satisfied himself, he raised his rifle to fire upon the family
party, intending first to aim at the father, whose death he most
desired, and who living would no doubt prove by far the most dangerous
antagonist.

In another instant his bullet would have sped towards the breast of the
sleeping giant, but for Saloo, who, grasping his arm, restrained him.

"Tay, cappen," said the Malay in a whisper; "leave me kill em. Sumpit
bettel dun bullet. De gun makee noise--wake old mias up, an' maybe no
killee em. De upas poison bettel. It go silent--quick. See how Saloo
slay dem all tlee!"

There was something in Saloo's suggestions which caused Captain Redwood
to ground his rifle and reflect. His reflections quickly ended in his
giving place to his old pilot, and leaving the latter to work out the
problem in his own way.

Stepping up to the branch assigned to him, which commanded a view of the
spectacle so torturing to his master, the Malay took a brief glance at
the scene--only a very brief one. It enabled him to select the first
victim for his envenomed shaft, the same which Captain Redwood had
destined to receive the leaden missile from his gun.

Bringing to his mouth the sumpitan, in whose tube he had already placed
one of his poisoned arrows, and compressing the trumpet-shaped
embouch