He spoke of their ultimate success, of the granting of the concession which had laid the foundation of his fortunes, and then of that terrible journey back through the bush, followed by the natives who had already repented of their action, and who dogged their footsteps hour after hour, waiting for them only to sleep or rest to seize upon them and haul them back to Bekwando, prisoners for the sacrifice.
"It was only our revolvers which kept them away," he went on.

"I shot eight or nine of them at different times when they came too close, and to hear them wailing over the bodies was one of the most hideous things you can imagine.

Why, for months and months afterwards I couldn't sleep.
I'd wake up in the night and fancy that I heard that cursed yelling outside my window--ay, even on the steamer at night-time if I was on deck before moonlight, I'd seem to hear it rising up out of the water.
Ugh!" She shuddered.
"But you both escaped ?" she said.
There was a moment's silence.

The shade of the cedar-tree was deep and cool, but it brought little relief to Trent.

The perspiration stood out on his forehead in great beads, he breathed for a moment in little gasps as though stifled.
"No," he answered; "my partner died within a mile or two of the Coast.
He was very ill when we started, and I pretty well had to carry him the whole of the last day.