y merely dropping
their heads; they were crouching at the corners of the adjacent houses,
the king's residence affording screen to fully a score. Not yet fully
recovered from their panic, they appeared to be awaiting the leadership
of some strong man who held the fire-arms of the explorers in less
dread than they.

A form rose upright along the Xingu, at the upper portion of the line
of savages. In the full moonlight he was as clearly revealed as if at
mid-day.

It was with strange feelings that Professor Grimcke saw that this
individual belonged to the same race as himself. He was one of the two
white men that had lived for years among the Murhapas and who had
instigated the furious assault upon them.

"You have earned your fate," muttered the German, bringing his unerring
Winchester once more to his shoulder, and sighting as best he could at
the unconscious miscreant, who appeared to be conversing with some one
sitting on the ground at his side.

The finger of Grimcke was pressing the trigger when, yielding to an
unaccountable impulse, he lowered the weapon. He was impatient with
himself that his heart should fail him at the critical moment, but
perhaps it was well it was so.

"You and I ought to be friends," he reflected, "and it is not my fault
that we are not, however, I cannot shoot you down like a dog, though
you deserve it."

The emotion which checked him so unexpectedly, also prevented his
renewing fire upon the Murhapas, who were really less guilty than he.

He had decided to await the next demonstration before discharging his
gun again.

Jared Long was as vigilant and alert as his friend. It may be doubted
whether he would have spared Waggaman, had he been given the
opportunity to draw bead on him. He realized too vividly that the two
defenders never would have been in this fearful situation but for the
machinations of those two men.

It seemed to him that Bippo was curiously quiet. He had not spoken,
nor, so far as he could judge, moved since his own return from his
brief conference with the Professor.

He pronounced his name in a low voice, but there was no reply. A call
in a louder tone also failed of response.

"I wonder whether he was killed?" was the thought which led Long to
leave his station at the door, and to set out on a tour of
investigation around the room, using his hands and feet to aid him.

He expected every minute to come in contact with the lifeless figure of
his he