and leaping till it
disappeared through the grating at the bottom of the boat.

"Does that fainting mean danger?" cried Brace excitedly.

"Oh, no. Let his head go right down, and he'll soon come to."

"But you are of opinion that the arrow was poisoned," whispered Brace,
in a whisper which was expressive of painful anxiety.

"It had been smeared with some stuff by an ignorant savage; but it may
not be poisonous to human beings, and even if it were you've been
drawing it all away from the wound."

"Oh, make haste, men; make haste," cried Brace excitedly.

"Let 'em be, my lad," said Briscoe; "they're doing their best. Come,
keep cool, for your brother's sake."

"Oh, don't talk like that," cried Brace wildly. "Look at him: he's
dying and we right away in the forest like this."

"You keep cool," said the American sternly. "He isn't dying nor
anything like it. Only fainting from the shock, and he'll soon come to.
It won't help him for you to turn hysterical like a girl. You began
right; now keep it up."

"What, shall I go on doing something to the wound?"

"No, I'd let that be now. You must have cleared it from anything that
wiped off as the arrow passed in, and he's a strong, brave fellow.
There, look: he's coming to."

Sir Humphrey's eyelids had begun to quiver, and at the end of a few
minutes he had quite recovered consciousness.

He lay back gazing straight up at the boughs of the trees, beneath which
they were passing more quickly now, for they were gliding along with the
current; but twice over he let his eyes rest upon those of his brother,
and he lightly pressed the young man's hand.

"It's very unlucky," he said. "So unexpected and uncalled for. I
hardly expected that we should have to encounter this."

"They're a treacherous lot," said Briscoe quietly. "It's enough to make
a man fire upon them at sight. Wound hurt much?"

"It feels as if a red-hot iron had been thrust through it," said Sir
Humphrey.

"Glad of it," said the American, who was taking the affair in a very
calm manner.

"What!" exclaimed Brace, as he turned round quickly with flashing eyes.

"Glad of it, sir. Good sign. Fine, healthy pain. Now, if it had felt
numb and dull I shouldn't have liked it, for it would have sounded as if
something nasty was on the arrow. There, you keep a good heart, and
we'll soon have you back on board. Then you can have a few hours'
sleep, and you'll be all right by night."

"I hope s