ree, he raised the rifle to his shoulder. There
was a chorus of loud shouts, the splash of many feet, and in a second
ten dusky figures burst into the full light of the moon and rushed
towards the tree which hid their quarry. Not till then did Dick fully
realise his danger. He had imagined till now that his foes were natives
from the river-banks, thieves who had come out to rob the expedition
during the night. But there was one amongst the group charging down
upon him who showed that he was mistaken. There was no chance of his
being in error, for the brilliant moon lit the scene too well, and
showed before him the half-caste James Langdon, who had so recently fled
from the coast, carrying Dick's store of gold with him.

"Then he at least shall suffer now, whatever happens to the others,"
exclaimed our hero. Lifting his weapon again he covered the half-caste,
waited till he felt sure of his aim, and pressed the trigger. Once
again there was a shout, and one of the unfortunate natives who aided
the rascally half-caste, leaped high into the air to fall next instant
with a splash into the water.

"Rush! He is now unarmed! Cut the dog to pieces!" shouted James
Langdon.

There was an ugly gleam in the eyes of the robbers as they heard the
shout, and slight though Dick's knowledge was of the language of these
Fantis, he recognised the meaning of the words. Quick as thought he
threw his weapon down and drew his revolver. They were close to the
tree now, and nothing but the darkness baffled them. But there was
their disadvantage, and Dick made the most of it. Singling out the
foremost he fired full in his face, and then, ere the report died down,
pulled heavily on the bough and dragged himself and the native boat
still farther into the shadow. A second later the weapon spoke again,
and another of the miscreants fell. But still their commander urged
them on.

"Think of the rifles and other goods," he shouted. "There is only one
between you and the prize, and he is only a boy. Rush him! Cut him to
the chin! Stand aside and I will lead you. Now, are all ready?"

He turned to look at his men, and waved a native sword overhead to
encourage them. Then he peered into the dense shadow and was in the
very act of leading a final charge when there was a sudden and
unexpected interruption. A single shot rang out from the river, while
one of the enemy fell on his face in the water and disappeared from
sight.

"A