All that I can positively affirm is, that I went in, and
within in the last ten minutes I came out!"

We laughed at this free-and-easy manner of narrating the incident, and
then prepared to return to our rendezvous; but on attempting to walk,
Peterkin found that he had received a greater shake than at first he had
imagined. Several times during our march he became giddy, and had to be
supported; and after reaching our encampment, where we found Makarooroo
waiting for us, he fainted. We were therefore obliged to make up our
minds to encamp where we were for a few days.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

AN UNFORTUNATE DELAY, AND A TERRIBLE VISITOR.

Only those who have been forcibly held back when filled with the deepest
anxiety to go forward, can form any thing like a conception of our state
of mind during the few days that succeeded that on which Peterkin met
with his accident.

We felt like chained hounds when the huntsmen pass by. We knew that
every hour increased the distance between us and the slave-dealer's
party, who, unless we succeeded in passing them and reaching the
villages first, would infallibly succeed in their villainous design.
But Peterkin was unable to proceed without great risk, as whenever he
attempted to walk steadily for any distance his head became giddy, and
we were compelled to halt, so that a day or two's rest was absolutely
necessary. Poor Makarooroo was nearly beside himself with impatience;
but to do him justice, he endeavoured to conceal the state of his
feelings when in Peterkin's presence.

During this period of forced inaction, although of course I had nothing
to do, I found it impossible to apply my mind closely to the study of
any of the strange and beautiful objects by which I was surrounded.
Anxiety banished from me almost entirely the love of study, as well as
the power of observation. Nevertheless, one or two things that I saw
were so curious that they could not but make a deep impression on my
memory.

I discovered a spider of a very remarkable kind, which was such an
ingenious creature as to be capable of making a door to the entrance of
its house. I came upon the animal one day while taking a stroll a short
distance from our camp. It was as large as a shilling, reddish in
colour, and from the fierce, rapid way in which it ran about hither and
thither as if in search of prey, it had an exceedingly horrible and
voracious aspect. The hole of this creature is visible only whe