CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
THE HIDEOUS HYENA.
Fatigued as they were, they would soon have fallen asleep.

But they were not permitted to do so.

As they lay with closed eyes in that half-dreamy state that precedes sleep, they were suddenly startled by strange voices near the camp.
These voices were uttered in peals of loud laughter; and no one, unacquainted with them, would have pronounced them to be anything else than the voices of human beings.

They exactly resembled the strong treble produced by the laugh of a maniac negro.

It seemed as if some Bedlam of negroes had been let loose, and were approaching the spot.
I say approaching, because each moment the sounds grew clearer and louder; and it was evident that whatever gave utterance to them was coming nearer to the camp.
That there was more than one creature was evident--ay, and it was equally evident that there was more than one _kind_ of creature; for so varied were the voices, it would have puzzled a ventriloquist to have given imitations of them all.