ained in safety. Then appeared Abdullah,
about ten yards from the bank; Kalulu close to the shore, with Simba,
and Moto, and the two warriors close to him. In a second they stood on
the shore, Kalulu minus his gun, but having his sharp spear in his hand;
the two warriors had also retained their spears, while Simba and Moto
had their guns in their hands, and their long broad knives in their
waists.

As soon as they had regained the shore, and stood on dry land, the party
began to cheer the youthful straggler, Abdullah, and to encourage him to
greater exertions. He was within five yards of the bank, and Simba and
Moto were already stretching their guns to him to grasp, when suddenly
Abdullah's smiling face assumed a look of terror, and a wild, thrilling
shriek was uttered by him, which was silenced instantly by the brown
waters closing over his head; and the calm, placid river flowed on, and
no swimmer was seen disturbing its surface.

For the shortest possible instant, all hands seemed turned into stone;
not a sound nor a breath was heard, until Kalulu was heard uttering the
terrible and awful word, "mamba!"--crocodile.

Simba and Moto then breathed, and confused murmurs were heard from all.
"Save him!" cried Selim; "oh, save poor Abdullah!"

There was no need to utter the prayer; for young Kalulu had divested
himself of his wet loin-cloth, had broken the staff of the spear he held
short off, close to the sharp head, and with the latter grasped firmly
in his hand, had plunged head-foremost, unconscious, as it were, of the
imminent danger of the hazardous undertaking, into the water, where
Abdullah was last seen.

Kalulu's feet had but disappeared beneath the water, when Simba and
Moto, dropping their guns, divested themselves of their loin-cloths,
and, grasping their long heavy knives, sprang in likewise, and the
river, disturbed for but a short second, flowed on as before, with its
silent, still flow.

It seemed an age to Selim, who stood on the bank with clasped hands, and
cowering form, a prey to the keenest anxiety for the fate of all his
friends, who had disappeared beneath the treacherous face of the river.

Yet thirty seconds could not have passed before the deep, brown water
was again disturbed, this time in a violent manner, while it began to be
slightly discoloured with, blood, and the crocodile's tail shot suddenly
above the surface, lashing the water into foam, and immediately after,
Abdullah's hea