e, but Hassan has been before us, and the old man
was dead."

"He must hate us very much to pursue us so relentlessly," said
Venning, when he had heard the story.

"He is not bothering about us," said Mr. Hume. "I take it that he
has heard of Muata's hiding-place, this Garden of Rest, and wants it
for his own use. Now, lads, is this to be our quarrel? There is no
call upon us to interfere, and we should escape a lot of trouble if
we did not interfere. I put the matter to you. Shall we 'bout ship,
and go down past the Stanley Falls towards the Zambesi and the
south, where there is good hunting."

"We'll keep on, sir, if you don't mind."

"Oh, it's all the same to me," said the hunter.

"Don't tell me," said Compton. "You are not indifferent about it,
for you said you would like to meet Hassan."

"So I would, lad. I would rather shoot a man like that than a lion.
The animal kills for food, the man slays for the savage lust of
power."

"Then we keep on," said Compton, "and no more speeches from the
captain to the crew on the score of turning back."

"There's one thing," said Mr. Hume; "this Garden of Rest, if we find
it, may turn out to be a complete naturalist's preserve."

"Hurrah!" cried Venning. "Give me the beetles, and you can have the
gorillas. Let's hope we shall have a real rest in this wonderful
place."

"Won't be much rest while Hassan is around," said Compton; "but
we'll have the pull of him if we can get there first."

"Without his knowledge," added the hunter. "The advantage of a
surprise is everything in native warfare, as you have gathered in
listening to Muata's yams."

"We'll have to lie up to-night, I suppose, or else we shall overrun
the spot where we are to meet Muata."

"It cannot be very far. I take it we are now travelling on the short
leg of a triangle, the long leg being the track we made through the
forest, and the other leg the tributary stream down which Hassan
went to pick up his cannibal allies."

"All we want, then," said Compton, "is a few hours' start, for we
can show a clean pair of heels to any canoe afloat."

"That is right enough; but you have to reckon with a cunning foe,
and it is more than probable that Hassan has left some of his men
ahead to keep watch. We'll hug the shore, and keep on as long as
possible."

The levers clanked merrily, the little screw lashed up the dark
waters. One reach of the river was very much like another, but the
silence and the absen