,
when the birds are singing, but in the night everything sounds
wonderfully clear."

"But I'm certain I heard a crocodile crawling up out of the sea, and
creeping towards the hut."

"And I'm certain you did not, my dear boy. We have no muddy tidal river
here for them to frequent. It was all fever-born, Nat, my boy; believe
me."

All the while he was talking I saw that he was busy getting something
ready. First he put a little white powder in a glass, then he poured a
few drops of something over it, and filled it up with water, stirring it
with a little bit of glass rod before kneeling down by me.

"There, Nat," he said kindly, "drink that off."

"What is it, uncle?" I said, taking the glass with hot and trembling
hand.

"A preserving thing, my boy. One of the greatest blessings ever
discovered for a traveller. It is quinine, Nat, fever's deadliest
enemy. Down with it at once."

The stuff was intensely bitter, but my mouth was so hot and parched, and
the water with it so cool and pleasant, that I quite enjoyed it, and
drew a deep breath.

"There, now, lie down again, my boy, and be off to sleep. Don't fill
your head full of foolish imaginings, Nat. There is nothing to fear
from wild beasts here."

"But am I going to be very ill, uncle?"

"No, certainly not. You will sleep after that till three or four hours
past sunrise, and then you will waken, feeling a little weak, perhaps,
but in other respects all right. Perhaps it will come back again, and
if it does we will rout it out once more with some quinine. Why, Nat,
I've had dozens of such attacks."

I lay back, feeling more at rest, and satisfied that uncle was right
about the beasts, for there was no sound now to trouble me; only the
lapping of the water, which seemed to be only the waves now beating
softly upon the sand, while the heavy breathing was certainly Ebo's,
that gentleman never having moved since I touched him.

Then I saw my uncle shut up his little tin case and replace it in the
chest, put out the wax taper, and lie down upon his couch of dry grass,
yawning slightly, and then lying gazing out of the open door, for I
could see his eyes shine.

But by degrees the faintly lit-up hut, with its bamboos and roof, its
chests, guns, and Ebo's spear, all seemed to grow indistinct, and then
all was restful peace.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

A STRANGE CRY IN THE WOODS.

When I opened my eyes again the sea was dancing and sparkling, an