monkey make a
desperate resolution to jump, and twice did its little heart fail as it
measured the distance between the branches and glanced at the abyss
below. Its companions seemed to entertain a feeling of pity for it.
Numbers of them came back, as if to watch the jump and encourage the
little one. A third time it made an abortive effort to spring, and
looked round pitifully, whereupon Moses gave vent to an uncontrollable
snort of suppressed laughter.

"Vat you mean by zat?" growled the professor angrily.

The growl and snort together revealed the intruders, and all the
monkeys, except pink-face, crowding the trees above the spot where they
stood, gazed down upon them with expressions in which unparalleled
indignation and inconceivable surprise struggled for the mastery.

Then, with a wild shriek, the whole troop fled into the forest.

This was too much for poor, half-petrified pink-face with the twisted
tail. Seeing that its comrades were gone in earnest, it became
desperate, flung itself frantically into the air with an agonising
squeak, missed its mark, went crashing through the slender branches and
fell to the ground.

Fortunately these branches broke its fall so that it arose unhurt,
bounded into a bush, still squeaking with alarm, and made after its
friends.

"Why did you not shoot it, professor?" asked Nigel, laughing as much at
Verkimier's grave expression as at the little monkey's behaviour.

"Vy did I not shot it?" echoed the professor. "I vould as soon shot a
baby. Zee pluck of zat leetle creature is admirable. It vould be a
horrible shame to take his life. No! I do love to see ploock vezer in
man or beast! He could not shoomp zat. He _knew_ he could not shoomp it,
but he _tried_ to shoomp it. He vould not be beat, an' I vould not kill
him--zough I vant 'im very mooch for a specimen."

It seemed as if the professor was to be specially rewarded for his
generous self-denial on this occasion, for while he was yet speaking, a
soft "hush!" from Van der Kemp caused the whole party to halt in dead
silence and look at the hermit inquiringly.

"You are in luck, professor," he murmured, in a soft, low voice--very
different from that hissing whisper which so many people seem to imagine
is an inaudible utterance. "I see a splendid Argus pheasant over there
making himself agreeable to his wife!"

"Vare? oh! vare?" exclaimed the enthusiast with blazing eyes, for
although he had already seen and procured spe