“It’s after us, Dick!”—­in a whisper.

“Where?”

“Up among the branches.  I saw it spring across as I looked back.”

They looked up into the trees, and then at the dark shadows before them, for the afternoon was slipping away.

“I don’t like it.  The beggar may spring on us at any moment.”

“Or it may wait bill it is too dark for us to see.”

“Yes, by Jove!”

“It is bad; but I am afraid we do not know the worst.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Hume must have missed us a long time back; and he would have come after us if——­”

“I see,” said Compton, gravely.  “You think that something has happened to them?”

Venning nodded.  “It’s all my fault, Dick.”

Compton was glancing up into the trees.  “We must dispose of that brute first.  But how?”

“I have an idea,” said Venning, after a long pause.  “One of us will go on.  Animals can’t count.  Seeing one of us moving, he may show himself to the other, who remains hidden.”

“Good.  I will go on;” and at once Compton, taking the more dangerous post, advanced slowly, leaving Venning standing against a tree.

A few moments later the watcher saw a dark form flitting through the branches high up, without, however, offering a ghost of a mark, and there was nothing left for him but to follow Compton and explain.

“And I suppose it’s watching us now?” said the latter, gloomily.  “Any good to climb up a tree?”

“I should think not.  Why, it’s at home up there.  You can see that from the length of the claws, and the length of the tail, which acts as a steerer, a balancing-pole, and a brake.  You see when it brings the tail down—–?”

“No, I don’t; but I do see that we are in a fix, and that the others must be in a worse position.”

“I cannot imagine Mr. Hume being caught in a trap, especially when he has the jackal.”

“And Muata!”

“And the black chap!”

“By Jove! suppose that fellow has proved treacherous;” and the two turned this unpleasant thought over in their minds until a light sound attracted their notice.  Looking up, they caught the glare of fierce green eyes.

“We’ve got him now!” yelled Compton.  “Round that side.”

Venning dashed round the tree, and three shots were fired in rapid succession at a vanishing object.

“Missed again!”

“By gum, yes; and if we go on playing hide-and-seek any longer, we’ll be missing ourselves.  We’ve got to build a camp at once.  That’s the place, between those three trees.  I’ll cut, and you build.”