Part 28 (1/2)

”We round,” said Mr Hume; and they poked into the banks here and there in search of a likely landing, ultie tree had fallen bodily into the river, dragging aith its roots a mass of earth Theyto caht of a fire and of the laes, one for each man to carry Sheets of oiled canvas were left out, rubber boots, and oilskin coverings for their hats and shoulders In the e of the packages, while the other two took the Okapi down to her berth, which was about half a mile down on the same side They drove the boat into the little natural dock, then with their Ghoorka knives cleared a little place in the forest, and next, with a s a trench in the soft h to hold the boat Then a foundation was laid of saplings; the walls were also lined with tough wood, and the Okapi, lightened of her cargo and steel deck, was bodily dragged up, and, after a long effort, safely lowered into the dry dock

Everything was made trim, a layer of branches placed over all, then the leaf-ly, the job took them till well on into the afternoon, when they rested a while; then, with their knives in hand, set off to work their way back to the clearing All they had to do was to follow the river It was sih job, as they had to struggle every foot of the way, squir

When they heard Compton's hail they had come to the conclusion that the forest was a trap, its ether disgusting

”You have been a time!” shouted Compton, as the two, hot, red-faced, and tattered, stepped out and straightened themselves up with hands to the sry as three, and have been under a terrific strain to keep fro the finest and fattest baked 'possu, hurrying forward ”There are no 'possu”

”Smells nice”

”Sit down--sit down, and we'll find out what it is afterwards”

They sat doith sighs of relief, and the ”'possuar was eating earth-nuts over there, and I bowled hi tail and sharp face”

”Monkey,” said Mr Hu that appendage

”Anyway, it was good See anything more?”

”Lots One crocodile, and about one s

Finished your job?”

”We buried the boat on the bank, and you youngsters had better be at great pains to take your bearings, in case anything happens; and for a sign we'll lash that pole and its bit of rag to the top of a tree

Up you go, Venning, andwas lashed to a tall tree, and then they waited for Muata The jackal was the first toafter, and the river- quite exhausted The chief first ate, then he washed, then at last he condescended to take notice of things, and then to give particulars He had followed the trail of the cannibals It led straight into the forest They could follow in theca iiness until, through ain the sluggish clouds which hung low overhead, the sun shot its rays and sucked up the moisture Then they started, and a loom of the most tremendous extent of unbroken wood on the face of the earth--a Sahara of leaves, stretching away to the east for five hundredover the same extent north and south

Trackless, the forest was, to any one not acquainted with its secrets; but there were paths through it, and the villagers had hfares, so that the going was not difficult, especially as the direction up to a certain distance had been decided upon by the previous day's tracking

They had, however, to walk in single file, with much care to their steps, for the obstacles were ceaseless in the way of trailing vines, saplings, and fallen trees The narrow and tortuous avenue they threaded was glooli out no vistas between the serried ranks of steins, each clothed in a covering of velvet ether by the parasitical vines, whose boles were often as thick as cables

As they plunged deeper into the woods over a yielding surface of leaf-mould, which sent up a ware cavern, into which is borne the hollow ru the continual ht, so soft that no chance breath of it found its way below

Yet the place was not really silent, and by-and-by, as their ears grew attuned to the new surroundings, the boys detected the sounds e and small, far and near--sounds which seemed a part of the silence, because they were all soft and a little mysterious, with a pause in between, as if the insect or creature whichto find if any enemy had heard him They were little detached sounds, as if an insect would start out to sing its song, and then suddenly think better of it; and even when so of a branch, or a sudden scurry in the undergrowth, the noise ceased alivessilence

”That's just it,” said Co”

”Even the trees They see has been carried right away for miles Shouldn't wonder if the trees were to close in and shut us up”

”Oh, come, now; that's a bit too fanciful”