“So,” muttered Mr. Hume, staring around under frowning brows, “Hassan has been.”

“Poor old harmless chap,” said Compton; “and he knew my father.  I should like,” he added sternly, “to meet that Hassan, Mr. Hume.”  “So should I, my boy.”

“He certainly tried to get some news of us from the old Arab, and failing, lolled him.”

“Ay, ay.  That’s the whole story, lad.”  They took the head of the old man, who, they believed, had been faithful to them at the cost of his life, and gave it reverent burial.  Then they returned to the boat, and pushed off.

“Not there?” asked Venning.

“Ay, he was there, but Hassan has been before us, and the old man was dead.”

“He must hate us very much to pursue us so relentlessly,” said Venning, when he had heard the story.

“He is not bothering about us,” said Mr. Hume.  “I take it that he has heard of Muata’s hiding-place, this Garden of Rest, and wants it for his own use.  Now, lads, is this to be our quarrel?  There is no call upon us to interfere, and we should escape a lot of trouble if we did not interfere.  I put the matter to you.  Shall we ’bout ship, and go down past the Stanley Falls towards the Zambesi and the south, where there is good hunting.”

“We’ll keep on, sir, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, it’s all the same to me,” said the hunter.

“Don’t tell me,” said Compton.  “You are not indifferent about it, for you said you would like to meet Hassan.”

“So I would, lad.  I would rather shoot a man like that than a lion.  The animal kills for food, the man slays for the savage lust of power.”

“Then we keep on,” said Compton, “and no more speeches from the captain to the crew on the score of turning back.”

“There’s one thing,” said Mr. Hume; “this Garden of Rest, if we find it, may turn out to be a complete naturalist’s preserve.”

“Hurrah!” cried Venning.  “Give me the beetles, and you can have the gorillas.  Let’s hope we shall have a real rest in this wonderful place.”

“Won’t be much rest while Hassan is around,” said Compton; “but we’ll have the pull of him if we can get there first.”

“Without his knowledge,” added the hunter.  “The advantage of a surprise is everything in native warfare, as you have gathered in listening to Muata’s yams.”

“We’ll have to lie up to-night, I suppose, or else we shall overrun the spot where we are to meet Muata.”

“It cannot be very far.  I take it we are now travelling on the short leg of a triangle, the long leg being the track we made through the forest, and the other leg the tributary stream down which Hassan went to pick up his cannibal allies.”

“All we want, then,” said Compton, “is a few hours’ start, for we can show a clean pair of heels to any canoe afloat.”

“That is right enough; but you have to reckon with a cunning foe, and it is more than probable that Hassan has left some of his men ahead to keep watch.  We’ll hug the shore, and keep on as long as possible.”