d, and felt sure that we
were gaining on them. I wondered, however, that no one on board saw us,
and could only suppose that those who were not paddling were asleep,
while, of course, the paddlers had their backs towards us, and believing
that we were ahead did not trouble themselves to look astern.

At length I thought that they were near enough to make them hear me. At
first I thought of firing my rifle, but the sound would, to a certainty,
show our whereabouts to our enemies should they still be pursuing us,
whereas my voice could be heard to any distance along the water alone.
Acting on the impulse of the moment, I shouted out at the top of my
voice. Charley started up, thinking that something was the matter. On
seeing the canoes he joined his voice to mine.

At length they ceased paddling; as they did so I cried out:

"I fear, after all, they are enemies. See, those are black fellows
standing up in the canoe nearest us."

"If they are we must fight our way past them," observed Charley; "they
have no firearms, and we can knock over several of them before they get
up alongside, and should they do that we must fight them hand to hand;
Iguma has shown that she is well able to defend herself; at all events,
a few minutes will settle the matter."

We again took to our paddles, and I, making a sign to Iguma to sit down
again in the canoe, took her place. We had not gone far before Charley
shouted out, "Hurrah! it's all right, I see Harry's and Tom's
broad-brimmed hats, and I make out two white men in the other canoe."

We were soon up to our friends, who greeted us warmly, they all along
having fancied that we were ahead, and under that belief having paddled
on, incited to exertions by occasionally hearing the voices of their
pursuers as they cut off the bends of the river. They were of opinion,
however, that we were now well ahead of them,--still we agreed that,
during the remainder of daylight, it would be safer to continue our
course.

The river now narrowed considerably, and the current became much more
rapid than it had been hitherto. Kendo and his henchman, with Harry and
Tom, led the way.

We were gliding quickly on, when suddenly Kendo's canoe spun round, and
filling was driven against some rocks whose black heads rose above the
foaming water. We narrowly avoided the danger, and as we shot by had
just time to help Harry, who held on tight to his gun, on board, while
Kendo, striking out, got up al