hief will stay here on the bank while I
go in search of my friend."

Dick thought for a moment. Would it be wise to land, and perhaps have a
dozen or more of the enemy upon him? Would it not be wiser to stay
aboard and lie off in the stream? That would give him an enormous
advantage in case of attack. But suppose Meinheer were near at hand,
and he were seen and followed; he would require help. "You shall go
ashore first," he said to the native. "I will wait here, and when you
report that all is clear near the landing stage, I will come."

For a moment it seemed as though the man hardly liked the order, for he
looked at his companion doubtfully, and fidgeted. Then he thrust his
paddle into the water and shot the boat close to the side.

"In a few moments," he said. "I shall quickly decide whether there are
enemies about."

He leaped to the bank, giving the boat a push out into the stream, and
at once disappeared in the dense jungle. For a little while the crash
of twigs and dead boughs told that he was moving, but finally the sounds
died down. Once our hero thought he heard the far-off cry of a bird,
but he was not sure, and presently his suspicions of danger were set
aside by the recurrence of the sounds of some one moving and by the
sudden appearance of the native on the bank.

"All is clear," the man called out. "The forest is empty. Even the
white chief is nowhere at hand. But we shall find him soon. It is safe
for the chief to land."

Satisfied now that his suspicions had been groundless, and yet with the
ever-present feeling that there might be, and probably was, some danger
to be anticipated, Dick drove his paddle into the water, and sent the
nose of the boat into the bank. The native caught the rope and dragged
at it, while his master leaped ashore, rifle in hand. Then, together,
they pulled the boat half way up on the bank, and made the painter fast
to a tree. Not till then did Dick observe a figure creeping towards him
through the jungle. He gave a startled cry, and lifted his rifle to his
shoulder. Then a second figure came into view, and just as he was in
the act of pulling his trigger a dozen natives rushed forward from
different directions, while the very man whom he had rescued down the
river, and who had brought the note from the Dutchman, leaped on his
back, and flung his hands over his face. Then commenced a desperate
struggle, for Dick realised in a flash that he was the victi