t still the fat little morsel on the ground continued his noisy
monologue, protesting in a language which is of an age rather than of a
race, against the cruelty and the thoughtlessness and the distressing
lack of consideration which his elder and better was showing him.

"I suppose you want some grub," said Bones, in dismay; and looked round
helplessly.

He searched the pocket of his haversack, and had the good fortune to
find a biscuit; his vacuum flask had just half a cup of warm tea. He fed
the baby with soaked biscuit and drank the tea himself.

"You ought to have a bath or something," said Bones, severely; but it
was not until an hour later that he found a forest pool in which to
perform the ablution.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, as near as he could judge, for his
watch had stopped, he struck a path, and would have reached the village
before sundown, but for the fact that he again missed the path, and
learnt of this fact about the same time he discovered he had lost his
compass.

Bones looked dismally at the wide-awake child.

"Dear old companion in arms," he said, gloomily, "we are lost."

The baby's face creased in a smile.

"It's nothing to laugh about, you silly ass," said Bones.

IV

"Master, of our Lord Tibbetti I do not know," said M'bisibi sullenly.

"Yet you shall know before the sun is black," said Hamilton, "and your
young men shall find him, or there is a tree for you, old man, a quick
death by _Ewa_!"

"I have sought, my lord," said M'bisibi, "all my hunters have searched
the forest, yet we have not found him. A certain devil-pot is here."

He fumbled under a native cloth and drew forth Bones' compass.

"This only could we find on the forest path that leads to Inilaki."

"And the child is with him?"

"So men say," said M'bisibi, "though by my magic I know that the child
will die, for how can a white man who knows nothing of little children
give him life and comfort? Yet," he amended carefully, since it was
necessary to preserve the character of the intended victim, "if this
child is indeed a devil child, as I believe, he will lead my lord
Tibbetti to terrible places and return himself unharmed."

"He will lead you to a place more terrible," said M'ilitani,
significantly, and sent a nimble climber into the trees to fasten a
block and tackle to a stout branch, and thread a rope through.

It was so effective that M'bisibi, an old man, became most energetically
active. _Loka