chloroform, and then, after tightly fitting in the stopper, he
looked around. He uttered an exclamation of dismay as he did so. He saw
by the bands of light the sun was already setting, and knew that he must
have been for upwards of an hour in chase of the butterfly. He had not
the slightest idea of the direction in which he had come. He had, he
knew, run up hill and down, but whether he had been traveling in a
circle or going straight in one direction, he had not the least idea.
He might be within a hundred yards of the spot where he had left the
Houssa. He might be three or four miles away.

He at once drew out his revolver, which he always carried strapped to
his belt, and discharged the six chambers, waiting for half a minute
between each shot, and listening intently for an answer to his signal.
None came. The stillness of the wood was unbroken, and Frank felt that
he must have wandered far indeed from his starting place, and that he
was completely lost. His first impulse was to start off instantly at the
top of his speed, but a moment's thought convinced him that this would
be useless. He had not an idea of the direction which he should pursue.
Besides the sun was sinking, twilight is short in the tropics, and in
half an hour it would be as dark as midnight in the forest. Remembering
his adventure with the leopard he determined to climb into a tree and
pass the night there. He knew that an active search would be set on
foot by his friends next morning, and that, as every step he took was as
likely to lead him from as towards the camp, it was better to stay where
he was.

He soon found a tree with a branch which would suit his purpose, and,
climbing up into it, lit his pipe and prepared for an uncomfortable
night. Frank had never smoked until he reached Africa, but he had then
taken to it on the advice of Mr. Goodenough, who told him that smoking
was certainly a preventive, to some extent, of fever in malarious
countries, and, although he had not liked it at first, he had now taken
kindly to his pipe, and smoked from the time when the evening mists
began to rise until he went to bed.

The time passed very slowly. The cries of wild creatures could be heard
in the woods, and although Frank did not expect to be attacked, it was
impossible to sleep with these calls of leopards, with which the forest
seemed to abound, in his ears. He had reloaded his revolver immediately
after discharging it, and had replaced it in hi