as if he were asleep, but keeping
one half-closed eye fully observant of all that passed.

The sunlight was streaming in through the sides of the building in
several places, and the watcher was conscious of the movements of the
man by his shadow crossing first one and then another of these openings,
one of which he directly after darkened.

"Don't you stir, Mister Archie," he whispered. "Sentry's squinting
through one of the holes."

There was no reply, and Peter watched till the light struck in again
through the darkened hole. This was followed by footsteps.

"You see him, didn't you, sir?" said Peter, turning in his
fellow-prisoner's direction.--"Look at that, now! I was shamming sleep,
but, my word! he's off again, sound as a church; and that means he's
getting well. I feel better too after that bread and water. Now then,
some of that fruit."

He went gently to the basket, which held a still ample supply.

"Might have given old Two-tails some more," he muttered. "This won't
do. We shall eat some, but there will be a lot to spare, and if they
come and find the basket like this they will grow stingy; and I can use
any amount for our friend."

Taking up the basket, he carried it to one corner, raised a few leaves,
and placed part of the bananas in the clearing, before lightly covering
them up, taking the basket back to Archie's side, and placing several of
the yellow fruits close to his hand.

"I might go to sleep," he thought, "and they will be ready for him."

Then settling himself down near the empty water-jar, which he carefully
wiped out and turned upside-down to dry, he began to munch his own share
of the fruit, making up his mind the while to think out thoroughly a
good plan for their escape.

"One helephant," he said softly, "two spears, one officer, and one
private who knows how to use the spears. Wanted: two krises and how to
get away. Well, there's nothing like thinking, so here goes."

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

"R-A-A-A-AH!"

Three weeks had passed away. Morning had come at last, and Archie Maine
was beginning to breathe more freely, after passing a very bad night.
For, as if it had scented an easy prey close at hand, a deep-voiced
tiger had startled him from his watch about an hour before midnight by a
deep-toned roar which had made the young subaltern stand half-paralysed
for a few minutes, feeling as he did that there was nothing but the
partly woven, fence-like wall of the big