riding and speeding and have not yet reached Smain?"

"I do not know. He undoubtedly is moving rapidly ahead, in order to
reach as quickly as possible the region in which he can catch negroes.
Are you anxious that we should join his detachment?"

The little girl nodded her pale-yellow little head in sign that she was
very much concerned about it.

"Why should you be so anxious?" asked Stas.

"Because perhaps Gebhr will not dare in Smain's company to beat that
poor Kali so cruelly."

"Smain probably is no better. They all have no mercy for their slaves."

"Is that so?"

And two little tears coursed over her emaciated cheeks.

It was the ninth day of the journey. Gebhr, who was now the leader of
the caravan, in the beginning easily discovered traces of Smain's
march. His way was indicated by a trail of burnt jungle and camping
grounds strewn with picked bones and various remnants. But after the
lapse of five days they came upon a vast expanse of burnt steppe, on
which the wind had carried the fire in all directions. The trails
became deceptive and confusing, as, apparently, Smain had divided his
detachment into ten or more small divisions, in order to facilitate the
surrounding of the game and the capture of provisions. Gebhr did not
know in which direction to go, and often it happened that the caravan,
after moving long in a circle, returned to the same place from which it
started. Afterwards they chanced upon forests, and after passing
through them they entered upon a rocky country where the ground was
covered by smooth rocks or small stones, scattered over the immense
expanse so thickly that the children were reminded of city pavements.
The vegetation there was scant. Only here and there, in the crannies of
rocks, grew euphorbias, mimosas, and thorny and scrubby plants and,
more infrequently yet, a slender, light green tree, which Kali in the
Kiswahili language called "m'ti" and with the leaves of which the
horses were fed. In this locality little rivers and streams were
lacking, but fortunately from time to time the rain began to fall, so
they found water in the hollows and excavations of the rocks.

The game was driven away by Smain's detachment and the caravan would
have died of starvation, were it not for a multitude of guinea-fowls
which every little while started from under the horses' legs, and at
evening encumbered the trees so thickly that it was sufficient to shoot
in their direction to cause a few