"Africa! Africa!" was the terrible word that echoed and re-echoed in the mind of Dick Sands. As he pondered over the events of the preceding weeks he could now understand why, notwithstanding the rapid progress of the ship, the land seemed ever to be receding¹, and why the voyage had been prolonged to twice its anticipated length. It remained, however, a mystery inexplicable² as before, how and when they had rounded Cape³ Horn and passed into another ocean. Suddenly the idea flashed upon him that the compass must have been tampered⁴ with; and he remembered the fall of the first compass; he recalled the night when he had been roused by Tom's cry of alarm that Negoro had fallen against the binnacle. As he recollected⁵ these circumstances he became more and more convinced that it was Negoro who was the mainspring of all the mischief⁶; that it was he who had contrived⁷ the loss of the "Pilgrim," and compromised the safety of all on board.  
What had been the career, what could be the motives⁹ of a man who was capable of such vile¹⁰ machinations?
 
But shrouded¹¹ in mystery as were the events of the past, the present offered a prospect¹² equally obscure.
 
Beyond the fact that he was in Africa and a hundred miles from the coast, Dick knew absolutely nothing. He could only conjecture¹³ that he was in the fatal province of Angola, and assured as he was that Harris had acted the traitor¹⁴, he was led to the conclusion that he and Negoro had been playing into each other's hands. The result of the collision, he feared, might be very disastrous¹⁵ to the survivors¹⁶ of the "Pilgrim." Yet, in what manner would the odious¹⁷ stratagem¹⁸ be accomplished¹⁹? Dick could well understand that the negroes would be sold for slaves; he could only too easily imagine that upon himself Negoro would wreak²⁰ the vengeance²¹ he had so obviously been contemplating²²; but for Mrs. Weldon and the other helpless members of the party what fate could be in store?
 
The situation was terrible, but yet Dick did not flinch²³; he had been appointed captain, and captain he would remain; Mrs. Weldon and her little son had been committed to his charge, and he was resolved to carry out his trust faithfully to the end.
 
For several hours he remained wrapped in thought, pondering over the present and the future, weighing the evil chances against the good, only to be convinced that the evil much preponderated²⁵. At length he rose, firm, resolute²⁶, calm. The first glimmer²⁷ of dawn was breaking upon the forest. All the rest of the party, except Tom, were fast asleep. Dick Sands crept softly up to the old negro, and whispered:-
 
"Tom, you know now where we are!"
 
"Yes, yes, Mr. Dick, only too well I know it. We are in Africa!"
 
The old man sighed mournfully.
 
"Tom," said Dick, in the same low voice, "you must keep this a secret; you must not say a word to let Mrs. Weldon or any of the others know "
 
The old man murmured his assent²⁸, and Dick continued:-
 
"It will be quite enough for them to learn that we have been betrayed by Harris, and that we must consequently practise extra care and watchfulness²⁹; they will merely think we are taking precautions against being surprised by nomad³⁰ Indians. I trust to your good sense, Tom, to assist me in this."
 
"You may depend upon me, Mr. Dick; and I can promise you that we will all do our best to prove our courage, and to show our devotion to your service."
 
[Illustration: "You must keep this a secret"]
 
Thus assured of Tom's co-operation, Dick proceeded to deliberate upon his future line of action. He had every reason to believe that the treacherous³¹ American, startled by the traces of the slaves and the unexpected roaring of the lion, had taken flight before he had conducted his victims to the spot where they were to be attacked, and that consequently some hours might elapse before he would be joined by Negoro, who (to judge from Dingo's strange behaviour) had undoubtedly³² for the last few days been somewhere on their track.
 
Here was a delay that might be turned to good account, and no time was to be lost in taking advantage of it to commence their return journey to the coast. If, as Dick had every reason to suppose, he was in Angola, he hoped to find, either north or south, some Portuguese³³ settlement whence he could obtain the means of transporting his party to their several homes.
 
But how was this return journey to be accomplished? It would be difficult, not to say imprudent, to retrace³⁴ their footsteps through the forest; it would merely bring them to their starting-point, and would, moreover, afford an easy track for Negoro or his accomplices³⁵ to follow. The safest and most secret means of reaching the coast would assuredly be by descending³⁶ the course of some river. This would have to be effected by constructing a strong raft, from which the little party, well armed, might defend themselves alike from attacks either of the natives or of wild beasts, and which would likewise afford a comfortable means of transport for Mrs. Weldon and her little boy, who were now deprived of the use of Harris's horse. The negroes, it is true, would be only too pleased to carry the lady on a litter of branches, but this would be to occupy the services of two out of five, and under the circumstances it was manifestly advisable that all hands should be free to act on the defensive³⁷. Another great inducement towards the plan was that Dick Sands felt himself much more at home in travelling by water than by land, and was longing³⁸ to be once again upon what to him was, as it were, his native element. He little dreamt that he was devising for himself the very plan that Harris, in his speculations³⁹, had laid down for him!
 
The most urgent matter was now to find such a stream as would suit their purpose. Dick had several reasons for feeling sure that one existed in the neighbourhood. He knew that the little river, which fell into the Atlantic near the spot where the "Pilgrim" stranded⁴⁰, could not extend very far either to the north or east, because the horizon was bounded in both directions by the chain of mountains which he had taken for the Cordilleras. If the stream did not rise in those hills it must incline to the south, so that in either case Dick was convinced he could not be long in discovering it or one of its affluents⁴². Another sign, which he recognized as hopeful, was that during the last few miles of the march the soil had become moist and level, whilst here and there the appearance of tiny rivulets⁴⁴ indicated that an aqueous network existed in the subsoil. On the previous day, too, the caravan⁴⁵ had skirted a rushing torrent⁴⁶, of which the waters were tinged⁴⁷ with oxide⁴⁸ of iron from its sloping banks.
 
Dick's scheme was to make his way back as far as this stream, which though not navigable itself would in all probability empty itself into some affluent⁴¹ of greater importance. The idea, which he imparted to Tom, met with the old negro's entire approval.
 
As the day dawned the sleepers⁴⁹, one by one, awoke. Mrs. Weldon laid little Jack⁵⁰ in Nan's arms. The child was still dozing⁵¹; the fever had abated⁵², but he looked painfully white and exhausted⁵³ after the attack.
 
"Dick," said Mrs. Weldon, after looking round her, "where is Mr. Harris? I cannot see him."
 
"Harris has left us," answered Dick very quietly.
 
"Do you mean that he has gone on ahead?"
 
"No, madam, I mean that he has left us, and gone away entirely⁵⁴: he is in league with Negoro."
 
"In league with Negoro!" cried Mrs. Weldon, "Ah, I have had a fancy lately that there has been something wrong: but why? what can be their motive⁸?"
 
"Indeed I am unable to tell you," replied Dick; "I only
 
[Illustration: "Harris has left us"
 
know that we have no alternative but to return to the coast immediately if we would escape the two rascals⁵⁵."
 
"I only wish I could catch them," said Hercules, who had overheard the conversation; "I would soon knock their heads together;" and he shook his two fists in giving emphasis to his words.
 
"But what will become of my boy?" cried Mrs. Weldon, in tones of despondency; "I have been so sanguine⁵⁶ in procuring⁵⁷ him the comforts of San Felice."
 
"Master Jack will be all right enough, madam, when we get into a more healthy situation near the coast," said Tom.
 
"But is there no farm anywhere near? no village? no shelter?" she pleaded.
 
"None whatever, madam; I can only repeat that it is absolutely necessary that we make the best of our way back to the sea-shore."
 
"Are you quite sure, Dick, that Mr. Harris has deceived us?"
 
Dirk felt that he should be glad to avoid any discussion on the subject, but with a warning glance at Tom, he proceeded to say that on the previous night he and Tom had discovered the American's treachery, and that if he had not instantly taken to his horse and fled he would have answered for his guilt⁵⁸ with his life. Without, however, dwelling⁵⁹ for a moment mor............