Ashman asked further, directing his question to each of the natives in turn, whether they saw the parties plainly enough to make sure they were white men.  The servants were positive on this point, adding the distracting statement that they were dressed precisely like the two absent members of the little company, and that each carried a rifle as they did.

“Same ones—­same ones; don’t know how cross riber, but allee same do so,” repeated Bippo, with a grin.

By this time the swiftly moving canoe was well on the way to the camp which it had left so abruptly, and, a minute later, Ashman sprang out and grasped the hand of each of his friends in turn.

In a few words he explained the extraordinary incidents of the last half hour, receiving in return the story of the experience of the Professor and his companion.  The latter were deeply touched by the loss of Johnston.  Danger tends to draw the members of a party closely together, and, despite the peculiar disposition of the sailor, the three felt a deep attachment for him.  They would have faced any danger in his behalf, but the time had passed for that, and they could only mourn the loss of such a valuable comrade.

“But what about this story that Bippo tells?”

Before a reply could be made, the native approached, with his peculiar grin.

“How you cross riber?—­why you come back ’gin?  Why you no stay ober dere when we hurry to go to you?”

“Bippo, you are mistaken,” replied the Professor, with all the earnestness at his command.  “We went up this side of the stream, and have not been on the other side since dark.  When we came back and saw that you were not in the camp, we thought you had all been killed.”

The native grinned more than ever, and shook his head.

“De Purfes’r funny man—­he make laugh.”  And he walked back to his companions with an unshakeable belief in the story given to Fred Ashman when he dashed in such excitement from the wood.

“Bippo believes what he has told us,” said Long, who had studied the fellow closely; “and it follows that he and the others did see a couple of white men.”

“I imagined,” remarked Grimcke with something like regret in his tones, “that we were the first of our race to reach this spot; but it is hard in these days to find any place on the globe where some white person had not been before us.”

“If there are a couple of them over there,” said Ashman, scanning the opposite bank, “they ought to be friends; and, after signaling to our servants to cross, it is inexplainable that they should withdraw from sight as they did.”

“We can depend on one thing,” added the Professor; “we haven’t seen the last of them.  I would be glad to believe them friends, but their actions are unsatisfactory.  I am inclined to think that the cause of their withdrawing was your entrance into the canoe.  For some reason they wished to have nothing to do with any of us.”