Part 21 (1/2)

The boy's heart stood still in the unpleasant shock of surprise

Which way had he cohtest notion, for each way looked so exactly the sa intensity that he had lost his bearings

”But IBolter's glossy ears ”I'll try each way in turn till I see the light There is nothing to be scared about”

He felt quite angry with himself for his momentary panic; it was stupid and babyish Of course fellows had been lost in the Bush, but they couldn't have been such a short way in as he one round and round like a squirrel in a cage not a mile from the outskirts of the scrub He was ”bushed,” and found dead

The boy shuddered, then literally shook hiations

”I won't think about it,” he said, setting his teeth ”I ain; Ihis ut on the way in, and he had no landht as he would with the fear at his heart, it began toback to the place I start froht, with a desperate sense of helplessness; ”but there isn't a bit of difference between these hateful trees I'll ash in the bark of the nearest to hih he watched ain

”As I' deeper and deeper into the scrub Oh, what shall I do--what shall I do?

What a silly fool I have been! I ht to learn to think out all sides of a question I didn't; and now if father goes back I shan't be there to tell hiasping sigh, al Bob, and not to have done it after all--only to die ”bushed”! It was enough to break a ht to the river bank, picturing hoould have been if he had only patiently waited, giving a coo-ee now and again to keep in touch with the answerer

”Why, how silly I am!” he exclaimed ”If I coo-ee noill answer ht cheered hi a hollow ave the loudest coo-ee he had ever given in his life

There was not the faintest response

Again and again he repeated it, straining his ears to hear if there carew his cries; so intense his silences between that he even stopped his breathing to listen But there was nothing to hear He got hot and cold by turns; he felt sick and queer It was now hours since his departure frohlands, and he had had no food since the very poor supper hedid not improve matters, and he was so hoarse at last he could call nowith desperate inconsequence as straight ahead as the trees would allow Stay still he could not; the inaction terrified hih--soh to the other side,” as he expressed it

”Why doesn't Bob answer?” that was the ot out of earshot?”

Presently Eustace was beyond thinking; he went on dully because he felt he er, exhaustion, and the heat of the noell-advanced day were beginning to tell on him The apathy threatened to become so settled that it was a mercy when Bolter presently stumbled so badly that Eustace had to rouse hiht before hist the steht put such life and spirit into hi Bolter, who also had just cause to reflect on no breakfast and general ill-usage, and they covered the ground as fast as possible, considering how unequal it was, how thick the undergrowth in parts

A disappointed into this open space--it was nothing but a clearing in the wood after all, dotted about with queer-shaped huts scarcely as tall as a man, and all rass for walls

Eustace pulled up short in breathless dis these untidy ”humpies” sos or spears ready to fling It was a sinister reception for one small boy on a spent horse Of course the keen-eared black-fellows had heard hi from miles away, and were ready

It was s his condition, that after one wild, appealing glance at the line of fierce, dark faces Eustace fell forward on Bolter's neck in a dead faint He did not see the weapons lowered, or the glearim amusement on the chief's face as he realized for what it was they had been so elaborately prepared

Out of the huts crept stealthy figures of women and children When Eustace opened his eyes he found hi inquisitively around He looked up into their repulsively heavy faces with a horror of realization For some moments he was too paralyzed to stir No more awful fate could have befallen hiht cohtmare But he kneas no drea thankfully, and in no way perturbed

The harsh guttural language these people spoke was unintelligible to the boy, but he could guess they were intensely curious about him from the way they pointed and stared It seemed to him that some of them could never have seen a white child before, they were so excited, especially the children, who looked half terrified

Were they cannibals these people? he wondered, with a sinking heart