. Just as Captain Mac was filling his ancient and
evil-smelling pipe a native rushed into camp shouting something that
sent the pipe to the ground and the captain to his feet.

The native came up and fell on his face. After a hasty exchange of
question and answer Captain Mac turned to the others and Burt saw that a
strange light stood in his dark and rather sad eyes.

"Get out the medicines, Wallace. We've got seven dying men on our hands.
We may save one or two with serum and morphia."

"Why, what do you mean?" cried Mr. Wallace, giving a shout for John.
When the trusty cook had been dispatched for the medicine chop-box
Captain Mac explained further.

"Those chaps we left wi' the beasts yonder drove off some Wambuti
pigmies, bein' utter fools and prob'ly ignorant o' what the dwarfs
were. They got a shower o' poisoned arrows in return. A bunch from the
village just found 'em an' are bringin' 'em in here."

John arrived with the medicine case and Mr. Wallace got out his serums
and syringes while the boys stared at each other in amazement.

"That's what them dirty little black arrow-points do," said Critch in a
low tone. Just then a band of men came running into the camp. On their
shoulders they bore rude litters which they set down before Mr. Wallace
with gestures of despair.

On the litters lay seven men. All were gray with pain and sweating
profusely. As they lay there Burt could see their naked breasts rise and
fall with the increased palpitation caused by the poison. The matter of
Captain Mac was forgotten on the instant, as all four went to work in a
desperate effort to save the wounded men. The captain hastily loaded the
hypodermic syringes and handed them to the other three, who injected the
contents into the arms of the wounded as rapidly as possible. While this
was going on the camp was surrounded by the villagers, and only the
leveled guns of John and the other men held them outside.

One of the men died just as Mr. Wallace was treating him, although
neither of the boys noticed it until they had finished. Then the wounds
were cauterized, a task which was not relished by the boys. In fact, the
smell of burning flesh was nearly too much for Burt, who retired
temporarily.

"There," and Captain Mac straightened up with a sigh of relief, "I guess
that's all we can do, Wallace."

"Will they recover?" asked the American quietly, washing the syringe.
The other shrugged his shoulders.

"Mayhap. Don't let th