e?" said Morgan. "I want to find that
boy, and at any moment we may be attacked by enemies, and it seems to be
our duty to get down to the boat, row back as fast as we can, and give
warning that the Indians are still near at hand."

"Yes, go," said Hannibal, who had been listening intently to Morgan's
words. "Boat. Injum. Han 'top find um boy."

Morgan looked at me, but I shook my head.

"No," I said; "we will not go--we cannot, and leave him here. Will you
come, Hannibal?"

"To find um boy," he said, frowning.

"And we'll stop too, Morgan," I said. "We may find him at any moment,
and it is impossible to go and leave the poor boy like this."

Hannibal did not speak, but I saw his eyes fixed on me as Morgan spoke.

"I don't want to go and leave him, Master George," he said, "because
it's like leaving a comrade, and old soldiers don't do that. But
soldiers has their duty to do, and duty says--Go and let them know at
the settlement. Besides, my duty to your father seems to say, Get you
out of this as quick as you can."

"Yes, I know that, Morgan," I said.

"And the Indians may be on us at any moment."

"Yes, but we can't leave him," I said; "and--Ah, there's that noise
again. I'm sure it came from right in there."

I pointed back toward the other side of the clearing, toward which spot
Hannibal immediately rushed, and we followed as quickly as we could, for
something seemed to tell us that a discovery was at hand.

It was close by the part of the forest through which Morgan and I had
made our way cautiously and silently when we were going to kill the
rattlesnake; and as we reached the edge, and passed in amongst the
densely growing trees, all was silent, dark, and mysterious-looking; but
there was nothing to be seen but tree-trunks, and we crept up to where
the great black stood bending down and listening.

All was silent. Then there was a faint rap as a squirrel dropped a
fir-cone from high up somewhere invisible to us. As far as we could see
there were the gloomy aisles of great growing pillars, and we knew that
we had passed through this portion of the forest again and again, though
it was quite possible that we might have missed parts.

"Well, do you hear it?" I said, in a whisper.

Hannibal shook his head despondently, and then his face lit up as we
heard from our right, and quite close at hand, the same faint, gurgling
sound, now evidently a cry.

The black rushed on in and out among th