The excitement made the distance seem so short that I was astounded when a low murmur told us that we were close to the village, and, stepping more cautiously, we were soon close up behind a great hut.

"This is the place," whispered Mr Francis. "He is kept prisoner here, or else at the great hut on the other side. Hist! I'll creep forward and listen."

He went down in a stooping position and disappeared, leaving us listening to the continuous talk of evidently a numerous party of the savages; and so like did it all seem to the last time, that no time might have elapsed since we crouched there, breathing heavily with excitement in the shade of the great trees that came close up to the huts.

It was a painful time, for it seemed that all our schemes had been in vain, and that we might as well give up our task, unless we could come with so strong a body of followers that we could make a bold attack.

I whispered once or twice to the doctor, but he laid his hand upon my lips. I turned to Jimmy, but he had crouched down, and was resting himself according to his habit.

And so quite an hour pa.s.sed away before we were aware by a slight rustle that Mr Francis was back, looming up out of the darkness like some giant, so strangely did the obscurity distort everything near at hand.

"Here!" he said in a low voice; and bending down we all listened to his words, which came feebly, consequent upon his exertions.

"I have been to the far hut and he is not there!" he whispered. "I came back to this and crept in un.o.bserved. They are all talking about an expedition that has gone off to the back of the cave--to destroy us.

Carstairs is in there, bound hand and foot."

"My poor father!" I moaned.

"I spoke to him and told him help was near," continued Mr Francis; "and then--"

He muttered something in the savages' tongue, and then broke down and began to sob.

"Take no notice," the doctor whispered to me, as I stood trembling there, feeling as I did that I was only a few yards from him we had come to save, and who was lying bound there waiting for the help that seemed as if it would never come.

The doctor realised my feelings, for he came a little closer and pressed my hand.

"Don't be downhearted, my lad," he whispered; "we are a long way nearer to our journey's end than when we started."

"Yes!" I said; "but--"

"But! Nonsense, boy! Why, we've found your father. We know where he is; and if we can't get him away by stratagem, we'll go to another tribe of the blacks, make friends with them, and get them to fight on our side."

"Nonsense, doctor!" I said bitterly. "You are only saying this to comfort me."

"To get you to act like a man," he said sharply. "Shame upon you for being so ready to give up in face of a few obstacles!"

I felt that the rebuke was deserved, and drew in my breath, trying to nerve myself to bear this new disappointment, and to set my brain at work scheming.

It seemed to grow darker just then, the stars fading out behind a thick veil of clouds; and creeping nearer to the doctor I sat down beside where he knelt, listening to the incessant talking of the savages.

We were not above half-a-dozen yards from the back of the great hut; and, now rising into quite an angry shout, now descending into a low buzz, the talk, talk, talk went on, as if they were saying the same things over and over again.

I thought of my own captivity--of the way in which Gyp had come to me in the night, and wondered whether it would be possible to cut away a portion of the palm-leaf wall of the hut, and so get to the prisoner.

And all this while the talking went on, rising and falling till it seemed almost maddening to hear.

We must have waited there quite a couple of hours, and still there was no change. Though we could not see anything for the hut in front of us we could tell that there was a good deal of excitement in the village, consequent, the doctor whispered, upon the absence of a number of the blacks on the expedition against us.

At last he crept from me to speak to Mr Francis.

"It is of no use to stay longer, I'm afraid, my lad," he whispered; "unless we wait and see whether the hut is left empty when the expedition party comes back, though I fear they will not come back till morning."

"What are you going to do, then?" I said.

"Ask Francis to suggest a better hiding-place for us, where we can go to-night and wait for another opportunity."

I sighed, for I was weary of waiting for opportunities.

"Fast asleep, poor fellow!" he whispered, coming back so silently that he startled me. "Where's the black?"

I turned sharply to where Jimmy had been curled up, but he was gone.

I crept a little way in two or three directions, but he was not with us, and I said so.

"How dare he go!" the doctor said angrily. "He will ruin our plans!

What's that?"

"Gyp!" I said, as the dog crept up to us and thrust his head against my hand. "Jack Penny is getting anxious. It is a signal for us to come back."

"How do you know?"

"We agreed upon it," I said. "He was to send the dog in search of us if we did not join him in two hours; and if we were in trouble I was either to tie something to his collar or take it off."

"Do neither!" said the doctor quietly. "Look! they are lighting a fire.

The others must have come back."

I turned and saw a faint glow away over the right corner of the hut; and then there was a shout, and the shrill cries of some women and children.

In a moment there was a tremendous excitement in the hut before us, the savages swarming out like angry bees, and almost at the same moment the whole shape of the great long hut stood out against the sky.

"The village is on fire!" whispered the doctor. "Back, my boy!

Francis, quick!"

He shook the sleeping man, whom all at once I could see, and he rose rather feebly. Then we backed slowly more and more in amongst the trees, seeing now that one of the light palm-leaf and bamboo huts was blazing furiously, and that another had caught fire, throwing up the cl.u.s.ter of slight buildings into clear relief, while as we backed farther and farther in amongst the trees we could see the blacks--men, women, and children--running to and fro as if wild.

"Now would be the time," said the doctor. "We might take advantage of the confusion and get your father away."

"Yes!" I cried excitedly. "I'm ready!"

"Stop for your lives!" said a voice at our elbow, and turning I saw Mr Francis, with his swarthy face lit up by the fire. "You could not get near the hut now without being seen. If you had acted at the moment the alarm began you might have succeeded. It is now too late."

"No, no!" I cried. "Let us try."

"It is too late, I say," cried Mr Francis firmly. "The village is on fire, and the blacks must see you. If you are taken now you will be killed without mercy."

"We must risk it," I said excitedly, stepping forward.

"And your father too."