Part 14 (1/2)

She looked pleased, and replied that she could feel for me, away from my country and friends, and that she certainly would not betray lishe, kept a prisoner by an old chief who ruled there, as very stern and cruel, and made him work very hard, and that he had becoht, and you will have less difficulty in seeing your countryman than would have been the case had he been at hoirl verypointed out the road I was to take, I proceeded on e I could easily distinguish the chief's house, which was considerably larger than that of the other natives

Some short distance from it was a small hut It was built in a different fashi+on to that of the natives, and not so neatly put together On one side was a garden, apparently lately formed, and carefully cultivated It struck lishman I concealed s of the inhabitants After a time, I saoman, with a basket in her hand, approach the hut: she looked cautiously round, to ascertain, apparently, that no one atching her, and then went in

She was old, and far from comely, but, even at the distance she was froentle She soon ca away I observed that her basket was empty This convinced me that she had been to take provisions to the inht be I determined to ascertain this

”May I coe

”Who's there?” was the reply, in English

I knew the voice; it was dick's

He lay on a bed forrass and mats; I hurried up to him

”I have found you at last, my dear, dear dick!” I exclaimed

”Charley, is it you, yourself? Then you are not dead,” he cried out

”I was told you were, and it well-nigh broke h Where have you been? what have you been about?”

I soon told hied to elude ht that I had not been ill-treated, as he had been

”That old chief is a regular tyrant; he er, and then would have let ood woht me food Bless them! they are all alike, black and white, when a fellow is in trouble, however bad they s were not so bad at first Tui, who lives not far off, came over with Mat Davis, and helped me to put up this hut; or otherwise, as far as my old master was concerned, I should have had to sleep out of doors He, however, would not let theain, and I have had to look out forthat has happened to o off to the war, but he will be back again soon, I fear, and then the hard ill begin once more But you must not stay here, Charley; I don't knohat he would do if he caught you, though it will be a sore grief to me to have you separated from me”

I told dick that I was deterue the point, Charley,” said dick

He at last allowedday He had been so well supplied with food, that he was able to giveup talking to hi hielse

”I scarcely knohat to advise you to do, Charley,” he said ”If you are caught here, you may be hardly dealt with, and yet I don't like to tell you to leavewith have treated you well, it will be best for you to oing to run away and leave you while you are sick and helpless,” I answered ”God will take care of me if I ask Him; you have often told o to sleep”

I did so, and coiled rass by dick's side

The next e

We found that we had both overslept ourselves dick went to the door of the hut, to ascertain the cause of the hubbub, telling me to keep concealed under the uessed how it is,” he said; ”the fighting men have returned from the war, but, as far as I can discover, the old chief is not a them He has, I suspect, been knocked on the head, and serve hi for him, it seems, and it will be as well to keep out of their way, lest they take it into their heads to sacrifice us to his ghost, as I know is the fashi+on aes”

dick spoke quite coolly, but our danger was great He again toldup and down the hut, evidently very unhappy ”I don't care for myself,” I heard him say

”Poor dear Charley, I wish that he was out of the scrape Well, well; we have been saved before, and weto know that God looks after us poor fellows better than we can look after ourselves” While he was speaking, the noise increased

Never did I hear such savage shrieks, cries, and howls

”The people are cutting themselves with knives, and flints, and spear-heads, to show their grief for their dead chief,” observed dick, after he had taken another look outside the hut He sat down, and see what he should do After so the hut, and the old woman I had before seen entered