d thought of nothing but the shooting; now he's all in a
fidget. There!"

This was in consequence of Hamet reporting that the driver said he could
get the elephant along no faster, as the road was so bad and stony.

Murray threw himself back impatiently, and sat gazing straight before
them, while the elephant nodded and shuffled slowly along.

"For suppose," thought Murray, "anything should happen while I am away,
I should never forgive myself. I wish now I had not come."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

TWO HOURS LATE.

"It is only fancy," said Murray to himself, as, after what seemed to be
an interminable length of time, they came in sight of the big tree where
the other two elephants stood swinging their trunks, and the rest of the
party were standing about watching for their return. There was no time
lost now, for the day was getting well on, and the Malays showed plenty
of eagerness to be once more well on their road, so as to be through the
jungle before dark.

"I'm afraid we have rather overdone it, boys," said Murray, after a long
silence, during which the elephants plodded patiently on, and their
guard kept up a low muttered conversation to themselves.

"It would have been better if we had started half an hour sooner," said
Frank, coolly; "but it don't matter, that I see. Once we get into the
jungle track the elephants will go through it back to their quarters,
and we can lie down and get a nap if we like."

All this was shouted from one elephant to the other, for the same order
had been maintained as in coming. "No danger, is there?" said Ned.
"Danger? Well, perhaps a little. Tiger might catch one of the men, as
a cat does a mouse. You see how close they'll all keep to the elephants
as soon as we enter the jungle."

"Oh, nonsense! No tiger would attack a party like this."

"Wouldn't he! You'll see."

"What?"

"Well no, I don't mean that; only that if a tiger is hungry he'd attack
anything."

It seemed to be a long journey to the jungle track, and evening was
growing very near, as once more the elephants plunged into the narrow
dark tunnel, where the mud rarely grew dry in the huge footprints worn
by the heavy animals into deep pits, each of which seemed like a trap,
out of which the labouring beast had to drag its leg.

The change from the golden glow of the late afternoon to the gloom of
the jungle path was again sudden, and it evoked the remark from Ned: "If
it is like this now, what will