jamie, and
one or two others whom I did not know; but my men went at them with such
ferocity that they fled along with our enemies."

"Fled!" cried Jack.

"Ay; and I fear much that it will fare ill with them if they are
overtaken, for the men were wild with excitement and passion."

"Come, this must be looked to," cried Jack, seizing his rifle and
tightening his belt; "we must follow, for if they escape our hands they
will certainly be retaken by their former captors."

We followed our comrade, without further remark, in the direction of the
fugitives; but although we ran fast and long, we failed to come up with
them. For two hours did we dash through bush and brake, jungle and
morass, led by Makarooroo, and lighted by the pale beams of the moon.
Then we came to a halt, and sat down to consult.

"Dem be gone," said our wretched guide, whose cup of happiness was thus
dashed from his hand just as he was about to raise it to his lips.

"Now, don't look so dismal, Mak," cried Peterkin, slapping the man on
the shoulder. "You may depend upon it, we will hunt her up somehow or
other. Only let us keep stout hearts, and we can do anything."

"Very easily said, Master Peterkin," observed Jack; "but what course do
you propose we should follow just now?"

"Collect our scattered men; go back to the village; have a palaver with
King Jambai and his chiefs; get up a pursuit, and run the foxes to
earth."

"And suppose," said Jack, "that you don't know in which direction they
have fled, how can we pursue them?"

"It is very easy to suppose all manner of difficulties," retorted
Peterkin. "If you have a better plan, out with it."

"I have no better plan, but I have a slight addition to make to yours,
which is, that when we collect a few of our men, I shall send them out
to every point of the compass, to make tracks like the spokes of a
wheel, of which the village shall be the centre; and by that means we
shall be pretty certain to get information ere long as to the
whereabouts of our fugitives. So now let us be up and doing; time is
precious to-night."

In accordance with this plan, we rapidly retraced our steps to the dell,
which had been appointed as our place of rendezvous. Here we found the
greater part of our men assembled; and so well-timed had Jack's
movements been, that not one of them all had been able to overtake or
slay a single enemy. Thus, by able generalship, had Jack gained a
complete and bloodless vict