nd asked feebly for something to eat.

The very mention of food brought a hungry glare to their eyes, and Guy
turned round to reach the bag. It was not in its accustomed place, and
he staggered to his feet in astonishment.

"It's gone," he cried savagely. "The bag is gone. Who has taken it?"

They glared at each other with fierce mistrust.

"Ah, look! look!" shrieked Canaris suddenly. "The black wretch!" and
springing across the raft he flung himself on Bildad and grasped him
with both hands savagely by the throat.

Melton and Guy tore him away by main force and there beside the African
lay the bag--empty.

Bildad's lips were full of crumbs, and half a cracker was still clutched
in one grimy hand.

"Kill him. Throw him in the river!" shrieked the Greek, who was fairly
beside himself with rage and hunger.

"He is out of his mind," said Guy gravely. "He took them in his
delirium. Not one is left;" as he shook the bag in the air.

Sir Arthur made another piteous appeal for food, and Guy took the half
cracker from Bildad's hand and gave it to him.

"None left!" repeated the colonel blankly. "What are we going to do?
We'll starve in two days. I feel now as if I were on fire inside."

"All our rifles are gone, too," said Guy suddenly. "Bildad has thrown
them overboard. The crafty scoundrel feared we would shoot him for
stealing the crackers, and he threw away the guns on purpose. There was
method in his madness, after all."

"The fiend!" hissed Canaris between his teeth. "And it was I who saved
his life for this. If I only had known! If I only had left him to perish
in the lake!"

"Hark! I hear rapids or something ahead," said Guy at that instant.

For the moment this diverted their attention from poor Bildad, who lay
in a half stupor unconscious of all that was taking place.

The sound that Guy had heard was close at hand, and in a moment the raft
was flung heavily upon a sand bar and remained there motionless.

The channel made a sudden, sharp turn, and the current, being too swift
to round the sharp angle, dashed with a sullen splash against the shore.

Guy grasped the torch and staggered forward on the beach. It was the
first time his feet had touched land for more than a week.

"Here is shore and rocks beyond it," he exclaimed. "I see a cavern,
too, in the face of the cliff."

He continued to move forward with uplifted torch. Suddenly he paused
and uttered a loud cry. A terrible roar echoed from the