use their legs are
stuck fast in these holes. Here, you have first go, sir, and I'll keep
watch. Think this is a tigery sort of place?"

"They are fond of the river-side, Pete," said Archie sadly; "but I was
thinking about crocodiles."

"Haven't heard anything of them, sir; but, anyhow, we are safe up here,
and we have got to chance it."

"Oh," exclaimed Archie impatiently, "how sick I am of hearing you say
that!"

"Yes, sir; you're a bit sleepy now. Just you slip one arm under this
pad rope, and lie right over on your side, and you will go off. You may
trust me, sir. I won't go to sleep."

Utterly wearied out, the subaltern began to make some opposition, but he
obeyed his companion's order, and five minutes after Nature had asserted
herself and he was fast asleep.

How that night passed he could never afterwards recall, but he had some
dreamy notion that he woke up and took Peter's duties of watchman,
telling him to slip his arm under the pad rope and lie over upon his
side so as to get his turn of rest. But it all proved to be imaginary,
for the poor fellow, weak and still suffering from the effects of his
wound, did not start up until the great elephant had begun to drag his
legs out of the deep holes, when he trudged on towards where the track
ran once more between two walls of densely matted palm growth; and he
stared in wonder at his companion, hardly able to collect his thoughts
so as to put the question that was troubling him and say:

"Have I been asleep all night, Pete?"

"Yes, sir; like a top. Feel better now?"

"No!" cried the lad passionately, for the confusion was passing off. "I
trusted you."

"Yes, sir. All right. I have been listening to one of them great cats
singing and purring right back on the other side of the river, and I
never slept a wink."

"Oh!" ejaculated Archie; but Peter chose to misunderstand him.

"Oh it is, sir," he cried ecstatically. "Take another look before we
are shut in amongst the trees. It's lovely! It's the beautifullest
morning I ever did see."

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

AN AWAKENING.

"You can't be sure, Pete. These elephant-paths through the jungle are
all alike. There's the same half-dark, dense heat, the tangled walls on
either side, the overhanging trees and loops of prickly rotan suspended
overhead ready to catch you. How can you be sure that this is one that
you have been along before?"

"I d'know, sir. What you say is very right, bu