t, directly afterwards."

"Oh yes; he was there when we lay down, wasn't he, Morny?"

"Yes; I remember that."

"But we have not seen him since, uncle."

"Very strange," said the doctor, and turning to the men he questioned
them in turn, with the result that all were sure that they had not seen
the Spaniard since over-night.

The doctor and the two lads stood gazing at one another for some minutes
in silence.

"Do you think anything could have happened to him?" said Morny at last.

"Oh no," cried the doctor sharply. "He's too much at home here in these
wild parts for that."

"But I was thinking, uncle--" said Rodd, in a hesitating way.

"Thinking of what, my boy?"

"That there might be some few crocodiles up here in this narrow part of
the river, after all."

"Absurd, Rodney! Don't jump at conclusions like that!" cried the
doctor.

"But they are such horribly fierce creatures, uncle."

"Don't be absurd, sir! Is it likely that one of those reptiles could
have come up out of the river, crawled into the tent, and dragged him
out again, without some one knowing it? No; he must have got up early
and gone off by himself somewhere, as this is as far as we were to go,
meaning to see if he could find the traces of a chimpanzee, so as to
show us one or more before we start back."

"Yes, that's possible, uncle," said Rodd. "And perhaps he has found
one."

"Very likely; and if he has he'll soon be back to take us on the trail."

"Perhaps so, uncle," said Rodd meaningly.

"Why do you speak like that, sir?"

"Because I say he may have found one, uncle."

"Well--and then?"

"The chimpanzee won't let him come back."

"Really, Rodney, you make me very angry sometimes," cried the doctor.
"If ever there happens to be a little hitch of any kind you immediately
clap it under your mental microscope and try to make it as large as you
possibly can. That's it for certain, Morny. He wants to keep perfect
faith with us, and so he has gone to see whether he can find any signs
of these great apes. Well, we won't let the breakfast spoil, and it
would be a sort of madness to go hunting about in the forest for his
tracks; so come along. I dare say he'll be back long before we have
done."

But the breakfast was eaten without any sign of the Spaniard, and now
the doctor began to be thoroughly uneasy, for the time was there when
they ought to be starting on their backward journey, and minute by
minute he grew more im