but their deportment in the presence of their
superiors might be a lesson to some of our more advanced Europeans.
Strange how correct are the instincts of the natural man!"

It was clear that the natives had come out upon the war-path, for every
man carried his spear--a long bamboo tipped with bone--his bow and
arrows, and some sort of club or stone battle-axe slung at his side.
Their dark, angry glances at the woods from which we had come, and the
frequent repetition of the word "Doda," made it clear enough that this
was a rescue party who had set forth to save or revenge the old chief's
son, for such we gathered that the youth must be. A council was now
held by the whole tribe squatting in a circle, whilst we sat near on a
slab of basalt and watched their proceedings. Two or three warriors
spoke, and finally our young friend made a spirited harangue with such
eloquent features and gestures that we could understand it all as
clearly as if we had known his language.

"What is the use of returning?" he said. "Sooner or later the thing
must be done. Your comrades have been murdered. What if I have
returned safe? These others have been done to death. There is no
safety for any of us. We are assembled now and ready." Then he pointed
to us. "These strange men are our friends. They are great fighters,
and they hate the ape-men even as we do. They command," here he
pointed up to heaven, "the thunder and the lightning. When shall we
have such a chance again? Let us go forward, and either die now or
live for the future in safety. How else shall we go back unashamed to
our women?"

The little red warriors hung upon the words of the speaker, and when he
had finished they burst into a roar of applause, waving their rude
weapons in the air. The old chief stepped forward to us, and asked us
some questions, pointing at the same time to the woods. Lord John made
a sign to him that he should wait for an answer and then he turned to
us.

"Well, it's up to you to say what you will do," said he; "for my part I
have a score to settle with these monkey-folk, and if it ends by wiping
them off the face of the earth I don't see that the earth need fret
about it. I'm goin' with our little red pals and I mean to see them
through the scrap. What do you say, young fellah?"

"Of course I will come."

"And you, Challenger?"

"I will assuredly co-operate."

"And you, Summerlee?"

"We seem to be drifting very far from the