ered. "They all black fellow."

"Yes. Go and tell them at the camp," Norman whispered back.

In an instant the black's hand was over his lips, and his head was
pressed down amongst the grass, while he felt the black's chest across
his shoulders. He was so taken by surprise that he lay perfectly still,
feeling that after all his father was right, and Shanter was
treacherous; but his thoughts took another direction as quickly as the
first had come, for Shanter's lips were again at his ear.

"Black fellow come along fetch wood."

In effect quite unnoticed, three or four of the men had been approaching
where they lay, and now seemed to start up suddenly from some bushes
twenty feet below them.

Retreat was impossible. The precipice was close behind, and to get away
by there meant slow careful lowering of themselves down, and this was
impossible without making some noise, which must be heard, so that all
that could be done was to lie close and wait with weapons ready, in case
they were discovered--a fate which was apparently certain.

Norman laid his hand upon the lock of his gun, ready to raise it and
fire if they were found, and a slight rustle told him that Shanter had
taken a fresh grip of his club.

That was all, and they lay waiting, listening to the rustling noise made
by the black fellows as they pushed their way through the scrub, still
coming nearer and nearer.

They were agonising moments, and again Norman felt that his father's
doubts might be correct, for the enemy approaching were evidently not
gathering wood, but coming up there for some special purpose. Was it,
after all, to surprise the camp, and was Shanter holding him down to be
made a prisoner or for death?

He was ready to heave himself up and make a brave struggle for life as
he shouted out a warning to those in camp, and as the rustling noise
grew nearer his heart seemed to beat more heavily. But his common sense
told him directly that he must be wrong, and that, too, just as he could
hear the mental agony no longer, for when the rustling was quite near,
the men began jabbering quite loudly to each other, and directly after
one tripped in the darkness and fell forward on the bushes, the others
laughing loudly at his mishap.

That settled one thing: they could not evidently be going to surprise
the camp, or they would have been cautious, and a warm sensation of joy
even in the midst of his peril ran through the boy's breast.

But why