told the niggers eat him.--Don't they, Mak?"

"Yis, massa, dey does. More dan dat, de niggers in dis part ob country
eat mans."

"Eat mans!" echoed Peterkin in horror.

"Yis, eat mans, and womins, an' childerdens."

"Oh, the brutes! But I don't believe you, Mak. What are the villains
called?"

"Well, it not be easy for say what dem be called. Miss'naries calls dem
canibobbles."

"Ho!" shouted Peterkin, "canibobbles? eh! well done. Mak, I must get
you to write a new dictionary; I think it would pay!"

"It won't pay to go on talking like this, though," observed Jack.
"Come, hand me the axe. I'll fell this tree while you strike a light,
Peterkin.--Be off with you, Mak.--As for Ralph, we must leave him to his
note-book; I see there is no chance of getting him away from his beloved
gorilla till he has torn its skin from its flesh, and its flesh from its
bones."

Jack was right. I had now several long hours' work before me, which I
knew could not be delayed, and to which I applied myself forthwith most
eagerly, while my comrades lit the fire and prepared the camp, and
Makarooroo set off on his return journey to bring up the remainder of
our party.

That night, while I sat by the light of the camp-fire toiling at my
task, long after the others had retired to rest, I observed the features
of Jack and Peterkin working convulsively, and their hands clutching
nervously as they slept, and I smiled to think of the battles with
gorillas which I felt assured they must be fighting, and the enormous
"bags" they would be certain to tell of on returning from the realms of
dreamland to the regions of reality.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

PETERKIN'S SCHOOLDAY REMINISCENCES.

The day following that on which we shot our first gorilla was a great
and memorable day in our hunting career in Africa, for on that day we
saw no fewer than ten gorillas: two females, seven young ones--one of
which was a mere baby gorilla in its mother's arms--and a huge lone
male, or bachelor gorilla, as Peterkin called him. And of these we
killed four--three young ones, and the old bachelor. I am happy to add
that I saved the lives of the infant gorilla and its mother, as I shall
presently relate.

The portion of country through which we travelled this day was not so
thickly wooded as that through which we had passed the day before, so
that we advanced more easily, and enjoyed ourselves much as we went
along. About the middle of the day we came