roundly cursing the ill-luck which had brought this latest misfortune
upon them, the tired wayfarers ate their supper, set a watch, and then
lay down to snatch a few hours' rest before the dawn.

The earliest gleam of daylight saw Grenville afoot, and with Kenyon, the
Zulus, and a couple of hundred Mormons, he commenced to quarter the
forest in every direction. Fearful work this was, for the place was
simply a tangled and practically impenetrable jungle, upon which even
the axes of the party made little impression. For three whole days did
the little band prosecute their arduous search, returning to Equatoria
each night utterly worn out with their fruitless and cruel labour.

On the third night, when Grenville, thinking sadly upon the unknown fate
of his much-loved cousin, supposed his friend Kenyon to be asleep, to
his utter astonishment that worthy suddenly shot up to his feet.

"Gods!" he yelled, fairly trembling with excitement. "Gods! I have it.
Dick, what cursed fools we've been--how could those priests have taken
bound and stupefied people through these thickets, beyond which our axes
cannot carry us. Ten to one in sovereigns, I take you straight to their
lair at dawn, old man;" and so he did, never making a single mistake,
and a mighty queer place they found it, _up amongst the tree-tops_.

Entering confidently a great hollow tree which stood about a mile from
the town, and on the outskirts of the impenetrable bush, Kenyon
triumphantly pointed to _a strong rough ladder run up the inside of the
giant trunk_, and mounting this for near a hundred feet, all found
themselves in a fair way to enter the abode of the famous Forest Fetish
who dominated the timid natives in those parts, and was had--as is
always the case--in even more repute amongst them, on account of his
abominable extortions and deeds of violence, than was Muzi Zimba, the
Ancient Fetish of the Hills, in consideration of his uniform kindness of
soul.

High up upon the interlaced branches of the trees were fastened rough
boards, thickly covered with grass matting, and on these, from tree to
tree, our adventurers followed _for upwards of two miles_, a perfectly
safe and absolutely silent road, of a uniform width of perhaps five
feet, until they penetrated into the sacred presence of the arch-humbug
himself. A mighty uproar there was, and a great seizing and brandishing
of sacrificial knives and swords, as the first of our friends entered
the roo