BUNK’S expertness in climbing served him well. With no trouble he rapidly ascended the maple, whose trunk was six inches or more in diameter and whose branches with their soft, green foliage were interlocked with the more rugged limbs of the immense oak. The lowest branch of the latter was ten inches thick, and put out horizontally at a height of ten feet or more from the ground. It would have made a tree of itself.  
When the youth found himself among the foliage he was able to discern in the fast increasing darkness the main limb. It was so near that, carefully balancing himself, he swung out and let go of his own support. The feat was not difficult and he seized the rugged support, which dipped considerably, but would have sustained a far greater weight without breaking. He crept over it to the massive trunk. It was in the crotch of this that he meant to make his couch for the night. He was too high to be in danger from any roving beasts, unless of the very largest kind.
 
“I ’spose an elephant might git me with his trunk, but I could hear him tramping the leaves and could scoot to the top of the tree. De worstest am a gerauf; they hab such long necks dat dey can pick de ball off a church steeple, but if I disremembers right dey doan’ bite, but butt wid dere horns; dat lets me out.”
 
Bunk had secured his perch, but the problem of making it a reposeful bed was a different matter. At first he tried sitting astride of the limb with his back against the trunk. This answered for a time, but soon became as onerous as the seat of Harvey Hamilton did when he was fleeing from the bear. Then he lay forward on his face along the limb, which he still bestrode. That was very little improvement and he had to give it up.
 
“De only way fur a feller to sleep am to lay down,” he exclaimed disgustedly, “and dat’s what I’m gwine to do.”
 
He carefully extended his body along the shaggy support, face downward, steadying himself by grasping a smaller branch which put out from the larger. Having done this, Bunk held his place for a few minutes and then in trying to improve it rolled off the limb and dropped to the ground.
 
The distance was so trifling that he suffered no hurt though his feelings were much disturbed.
 
[238]“I oughter fetched my blanket or laid some boards on de limbs; dat’s what I’ll do to-morrer if I can find de boards.”
 
Nothing having been seen or heard to frighten him, he decided to go back to the cavern and spend his first night with only the partial protection he could find there. He had not as yet caught a glimpse of any wild animals and he did not believe he had cause to fear his own species. So he lay down and slept without waking until day came again.
 
At the brook which ran near, he bathed his face and hands, and then climbed to the most elevated portion of the rocks to await the Professor, who had promised to bring him breakfast. He was ravenously hungry, as was to be expected, and to his delight he was not forced to suffer long. The helicopter was really ahead of time and the aviator proved that he appreciated the appetite of the colored lad, who gave thanks for his thoughtfulness.
 
The man was alert and seemed to be in high spirits over the progress he had made. His manner was so noticeable that Bunk asked:
 
“How’s yo’ getting along, Perfesser?”
 
“Splendidly,” was the reply; “everything is going right. I have completed my compound[239] by which I can keep the machine going for two days; all that remains is to tune it up so as to be sure of making a hundred miles an hour. I shall do that to-day.”
 
“Den we’ll start for Afriky—”
 
“To-morrow. I must complete a few experiments first, but they are trifling and will result all right.”
 
“Dat’s good news,” remarked the happy Bunk, catching the contagion; “yo’ll find me ready as soon as yo’ am.”
 
“Have you seen anybody while I was away?”
 
“Nobody hain’t been near here, but I can look down ober de lake and see folks afishing and de tent ober on t’other side.”
 
“If any of them should wander up this way, don’t let them see you. You will remember?”
 
“Yas, sir.”
 
“I must be off, for every minute now counts.”
 
“Yas, sir.”
 
The Professor resumed his seat, set the uplifter spinning, slowly rose in the air until at the right elevation, when he darted southward like a swallow on the wing. Left to himself, Bunk began preparing for the tedious hours before him. He was eager to fit up a sleeping couch in the oak from which he had fallen the night before. He[240] would have carried out his plan but for one drawback: he had no boards to serve him.
 
A bright idea struck him.
 
“I’ll make a hammock; all I hab to do am to nail de corners on to de limbs and sleep jest like I do in my trundle bed at home.”
 
The fact that not a nail was within reach did not deter him. Bringing the blanket from the cavern he slung it over one shoulder, climbed the sapling and readily picked his way among the branches of the oak. These were not placed as he wished, but after a good deal of work, no end of pains and considerable ingenuity, he managed to fasten the corners by twisting and tying them around the limbs until he had a fair imitation of the ordinary hammock with which we are all familiar. True, the center dipped lower than he wished, and when he gingerly trusted his weight to it the blanket sagged still more. In fact Bunk’s position was much as if he were seated in the top of an open barrel with his head and feet protruding through the opening.
 
“Dere’s one big adwantage ob dis,” he reflected; “if de thing gibs way when I’m asleep I’ll drap squar, so I’ll be setting as if I’m in a chair when I hit de ground. Ef I gits tired I can flop ober; I’ll try it.”
 
With some difficulty he squirmed upon his face, with his heels almost touching the back of his head. The sensation was pleasant at first, but any unnatural position of the body is sure to become irksome in sleep, and it was to be feared that the lad would find his plan a failure when put to the test. He determined to try it, however, and came down to the ground satisfied with what he had accomplished.
 
“What the deuce are you trying to do?”
 
Bunk leaped off the ground and stared at the point whence the startling question had come. A middle-aged man, carrying a Winchester rifle, which rested in the hollo............