t his hands to his mouth, as if to mimic eating.
Then he sprang nimbly upon his one foot and would have leaped toward
the now raging fire, but the one who had been first impassive, then had
attempted to restrain the mad throng, restrained him, for the others,
leaping at the fire, threw it hither and yon, stamping out with their
feet the blaze that had already begun eating its way into the building.

It was all over in a minute. Then the two girls sank down upon the
floor, dizzy and sick, wondering what it was all about.

* * * * * *

Phi found that to rouse the native from his drunken stupor was no easy
task. After rubbing the man's forehead with snow, he stood him on his
feet and attempted to compel him to walk. Finding this impossible, he
worked his arms back and forth, producing artificial respiration.

At last his efforts were rewarded; the man opened his eyes and stared
dully up at him. For some time he lay there motionless. Then, with a
wild light of terror in his eye, he struggled to his feet and attempted
to flee. His wabbly legs would not support him. He tumbled to the
earth, only to try it again. Rover ran barking after him.

"Let him alone," smiled Phi. "As long as he is not in danger of
harming himself, let him work. He's doing as much as we could do for
him. He'll work it out of his system."

In spite of his muddled state the fellow appeared to possess a sense of
direction, for the boy soon found that he had come upon a narrow path
leading along the cliff at a safe distance from its edge.

As he stumbled forward, the native's falls became less frequent.
"Sobering up," was Phi's mental comment. "We'll soon strike a place
where the path leads down the side of the cliff. I wonder if he can
make that alone or will he break his neck?"

Suddenly the man disappeared from view.

"That," said Phi to the dog, "means there's a path leading directly
down, probably to some village. If it is a village there are natives
there--perhaps hundreds of them. They have seen white men at one time
or another. They may have been badly treated by them and may be
hostile to them. If one were to judge by the action of this fellow he
must conclude that they are.

"But that cannot influence our action in any way. If we stay up here
and live on birds they'll find us sooner or later. Might as well go
down; the quicker the better, too, for this drunken fellow will
doubtless give