little wood where Lilla had had her
terrible adventure with the snake.

The affair began to show now in blacker colours each moment; and
I shuddered at last as I stopped short, and pointed to a
plainly-to-be-seen smear upon a broad frond.

"Blood, Mas'r Harry!" exclaimed Tom hoarsely; and then I heard him
mutter to himself--"Poor Mas'r Landell!"

We pushed on, to find the same track still; the heavy body that had been
dragged over the young plantation growth leaving it bruised and broken
beyond the elastic power of the plants to recover themselves. Two or
three times the track made a sudden turn, as if he who made it had
sought to avail himself of an inequality in the ground; and then, once
more, it went right away for the forest, in whose depths it disappeared.

Twice more we had both shuddered as we observed the faint smears of
blood upon some leaf; but there was a stern determination in my breast
to see the adventure to the end; for I felt that it was to a great
extent due to me that my uncle had been stricken down--for stricken down
he must have been, I now felt sure.

Following Tom's example, I drew and cocked a pistol; and then we pushed
aside the foliage, which grew densely as soon as we had passed through
the plantation, moving forward cautiously, and expecting to see an enemy
spring up from every tuft of thick growth.

"Why, the trail goes right down where the snake went, Mas'r Harry!"
cried Tom suddenly.

"Towards the river, Tom," I said huskily; for it was now plain enough;
and my heart seemed to stand still, and my breath to come in gasps, as
my imagination conjured up horror after horror that must have befallen
the free, generous hearted man who had ever given me so warm a welcome
to his home.

"Keep a sharp look-out, Mas'r Harry," whispered Tom, as a rustling
amongst the bushes and swamp-loving grass told of something rapidly
retreating towards the river.

Then once more the trail turned off, and it was plain enough to see that
it was now pointing right for the thick reed and cane-brake where we had
slain the jaguar; and my heart told me plainly enough that, if this
track had been made by some one dragging my uncle's body, it was in
order to dispose of it in the great reptile-haunted stream.

There was a strangely strong inclination to stay back and leave Tom to
finish the adventure, but with an effort I crushed it down; and now,
close abreast, we crept on, pushing the reeds and canes aside as