Part 6 (1/2)

”What was that?” he exclaimed

The African was on his feet, his body bent forward, his eyes peering out into the distance

”Mok!” said he ”Look! Look!”

It was Mok who had rushed out of the cave He was running toward the fourupon the first man

Then he left hiave a little cry and sprang forward, but in the same instant the captain seized him

”Stop!” he cried ”What is it?”

The African shouted: ”Mok's people! Mok knowed them Look!

Look--see! Mok!”

The party was now near enough and the day was bright enough for the captain to see that on the lower ground beyond the plateau there were five blackaway at a great rate So far as he could discover, they were all unarht have shot them down in a bunch, if he had chosen

”Go,” said he to Maka, ”go down there and see what it all e He could see Miss Markha out of the doorway of the first coer so far,” said he ”Soone to meet them We shall find out about them in a few minutes,” and he turned back to the entrance

He saw that the six black felloere couns

CHAPTER IX

AN AMAZING NARRATION

When the captain had gone out again into the open air, he was followed by the rest of the party, for, if there were no danger, they all wanted to see as to be seen What they saas a party of six black men on the plateau, Maka in the lead There could be no doubt that the newcomers were the remainder of the party of Africans who had been enslaved by the Rackbirds, and the desire of the captain and his coot away, and what news they brought, wasone of the strangers ”Great things they tell,” said he ”This Cheditafa He speak English good asI want,” cried the captain, ”is some news of those Rackbirds Have they found we are here? Will they be coone off somewhere else? Tell me this, and be quick”

”Oh, yes,” cried Maka, ”they found out we here But Cheditafa tell you--he tell you everything Great things!”

”Very well, then,” said the captain ”Let hiin and be quick about it”

The appearance of Cheditafa was quite as miserable as that of poor Mok, but his countenance was h very much broken, was better even than Maka's, and he was able to make himself perfectly understood He spoke briefly, and this is the substance of his story:

About thehappened The Rackbirds had had their dinner, which they had cooked the down in their huts or in the shadows of the rocks, either asleep, or s stories Cheditafa knehy they were resting The Rackbirds had no idea that he understood English, for he had been careful to keep this fact from them after he found out what sort of e had come very soon to him,--and they spoke freely before hi for Mok, and who had co, tell about some shi+pwrecked people in a cave up the coast, and had heard all the plans which had been ht He also knehy he and his fellows had been cooped up in the cave in the rock in which they lived, all that day, and had not been allowed to co huddled in their little cave, feeling very hungry and ether,--for if they spoke out or made any noise, one of the men beloould be likely to fire a load of shot at the happened

They heard a great roar like a thousand bulls, which ca out, they sahat see across the little valley But in a second they saas not rock--it ater, and before they could take two breaths it had reached them Then it passed on, and they saw only the surface of a furious and raging strea over each other, and reaching alhtened that they pressed back as far as they could get, and even tried to climb up the sides of the rocky cavity, so fearful were they that the water would dash in upon theed outside, and none of it came into their cave Then the sound of it becarew less and less But still Cheditafa and his cohtened and so startled by this awful thing, happening so suddenly, as if it had been --before they lifted their faces fro thereat waves and the roaring water were gone There was no water to be seen, except the brook which always ran at the bottoer than it had been that