ecured their fastenings badly, for during the time we were conversing
they managed to free themselves, and made a sudden dash past us. Jack's
eye fortunately caught sight of them in time. He sprang up, rushed at
the one nearest him, and throwing out his foot as he passed, tripped him
up. It chanced that at that spot there was a deep hole in the floor of
the cavern. Into this the poor wretch plunged head first, and he was
killed on the spot. Meanwhile, the other gained the outlet of the cave,
and had almost escaped into the forest, when Makarooroo darted after him
with the speed of an antelope. In a few seconds we heard a cry, and
shortly after our guide returned with his knife clotted with blood. He
had overtaken and slain the other negro.

I cannot convey to the reader the horror that filled me and my two
companions at this unexpected and melancholy termination of the affair.
Yet we felt that we were guiltless of rashly spilling human blood, for
Jack had no intention of killing the poor negro whom he tripped up; and
as to the other, we could not have prevented our guide from doing what
he did. He himself deemed it justifiable, and said that if that man had
escaped to the village, and told who it was that frightened them out of
the cave, they would certainly have come back and murdered us all.
There was truth in this. Still we could not but feel overwhelmed with
sadness at the incident.

We were now doubly anxious to get away from this cave, so we rapidly
finished the discussion of our plan, and Jack arranged that he should
accompany what may be termed the overland part of our expedition. This
settled, we washed the charcoal off our persons, with the exception of
that on our faces, having been advised by King Jambai himself to hunt
with black faces, as wild animals were quicker to perceive our white
skins than their black ones. Then we resumed our garments, and quitting
the haunted cavern, set out on our return journey to the camp.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

PETERKIN DISTINGUISHES HIMSELF, AND OKANDAGA IS DISPOSED OF, ETCETERA.

When within about three miles of the place where our men had been
ordered to haul the canoe out of the water and make the camp, we came to
a halt and prepared a spot for Okandaga to spend an hour or two in
sleep. The poor creature was terribly exhausted. We selected a very
sequestered place in a rocky piece of ground, where the light of the
small fire we kindled, in order to cook her