e I could make any more inquiries, the rest of the party, who bore
Oliver among them, arrived, and he was carried up the steps. I ran to
his side. He could speak but faintly. My uncle seemed very much out of
spirits, as his faithful Tanda had lost his life.

"I do not know which of us may go next," he observed. "Oliver has had a
narrow escape, let me tell you; and he deserved to escape, for a very
bold thing he did. He is a brave lad. It would have been a pity to
lose him."

"But what has happened? What has happened?" exclaimed the Frau. "Why
Oliver again ill?"

"You shall hear all about it by-and-by, Frau. But here, give Oliver
some food, he requires it, for even I am almost faint for want of my
supper."

The Frau attended to Oliver's wants, and my uncle sat down to the
supper-table and began eating away without speaking further. He was not
a man of many words, and when anything had annoyed him, I observed that
he was more silent even than usual. As I did not think Oliver was in a
fit state to speak, I resolved to bridle my curiosity till the next day.
Food and a night's rest greatly restored Oliver, and he was up next
morning at the usual hour. He then gave me a short account of what had
happened:--

"Instead of taking our usual course across the bamboo bridge," he
observed, "we struck away to the right to explore a part of the country
Mr Sedgwick had not visited. We caught sight of several wild
creatures, and among others a mias which led us a long chase, and even
then managed to climb up into his nest in a tall tree where we could not
reach him. You see, Emily, these creatures build nests for themselves
and their young ones, and indeed, from what Tanda told Mr Sedgwick, I
believe they build one every night when they go to sleep in the boughs
of a large tree. Certainly this one seemed to have no inclination to
attack us, and I could easily believe that they would not generally do
so, unless alarmed and afraid of being attacked themselves. After a
little time we reached a most curious spot, all around destitute of
vegetation. The ground rose towards it, and in the centre was a
miniature conical hill, out of which there bubbled a stream of water
running down on one side of it. Mr Sedgwick hurried forward to examine
this curious spring, and on tasting the water, he took some grease out
of his wallet to wash his hands in the fountain. Immediately he
produced a thick lather, and shouted out to me