re closely, it soon began to dawn upon him that he
was in the power of a madman, and some tinges of the lemon-yellow
reappeared; but when he perceived that Zeppa was not merely a harmless
but an exceedingly gentle madman, his confidence and the brown-ochre
reasserted themselves.

Thus, for several days, the madman and the savage dwelt amicably
together, and slept side by side during the night; but Zeppa made it
very apparent that he did not wish for his visitor's society during the
day-time, and the visitor had the sense to let him wander forth alone.

Wapoota was mistaken when he calculated on the cooling of Ongoloo's
wrath. That angry chief, bent on the fulfilment of his anatomical vow,
set forth with a small party of picked men to explore the Sugar-loaf in
quest of the runaway. He found him one day gathering fruits for Zeppa's
supper--for Wapoota had already become a sort of attached Friday to this
unfortunate Crusoe.

On beholding his countrymen, the thief's visage underwent a series of
remarkable changes, for he knew that escape was impossible, and the
expression of his chief's face forbade him to hope for mercy.

"I have found you, mine enemy," growled Ongoloo--of course in the native
tongue.

"Mercy!" exclaimed Wapoota, in a piteous tone. "Mercy no longer dwells
in my breast," returned the chief.

In proof of the truth of this assertion he ordered his men to seize and
bind Wapoota, and proceed at once with the execution of his cruel
purpose.

The unfortunate wretch, unable to face the appalling prospect gave vent
to a series of terrible shrieks, and struggled fiercely while they bound
him. But in vain would he have struggled if his cries for mercy had not
reached other ears than those of his countrymen.

Not far from the spot where the thief had been captured, Zeppa chanced
to be sitting, idly toying with the branch of a tree which he had
fashioned into a rude staff wherewith to climb the mountain more easily.

When the first shriek ran among the cliffs, it seemed to startle the
maniac out of the depressing lethargy under which he had laboured so
long. He sprang up and listened, with dilated eyes and partly open
mouth.

Again and again the shrieks rang out, and were echoed from cliff to
cliff.

As a tigress bounds to the rescue of her young, so sprang Zeppa down the
hillside in the direction of the cries. He came suddenly to the edge of
a cliff which overlooked the scene, and beheld a savage j