Ten minutes ago I would not have given a crown for our chances." They at once crawled out upon two of the great branches, and a renewed chorus of snarls from below showed that their foes were watchful.

The snapping of the small branches excited a certain amount of uneasiness among them, and they drew off a short distance.

In ten minutes Charlie and his companion worked themselves back to the main trunk, each carrying an armful of twigs.

They first cut off a number of small dry chips, and made a pile of these at the junction of one of the branches with the trunk.

They then got out their tinderboxes and bunches of rags, shook a few grains of powder from one of the horns among the chips, and then got the tinder alight.