I was quite ahead after a while, and as I came in sight of the river I saw a number of savage-looking men on our island. I counted twenty of them. They looked fierce, and their bodies were covered with war-paint. They carried ugly-looking barbed spears and shields made of elephant skins. Their leader walked ahead of them. He was short, and looked fiercer than the rest. They advanced cautiously, and suddenly they stopped and looked frightened. They were looking at my Waterbury clock, and as soon as they heard the tick-tock they turned suddenly and fled in great haste towards their canoe. In a jiffy they left, filled with fear, and paddled away down the river with the greatest speed. I followed them with my eyes until they disappeared behind a bend of the river.
[Illustration: "_Rogala came out of the den holding two little live leopards by the neck._"]
When Rogala rejoined me, I told him what I had seen, and he said: "Those people live higher up the river, and are going to visit their friends."
I drew a long breath of relief as soon as we got upon our raft, for we did not know but that the leopards were after us.
Suddenly Rogala said: "I have forgotten the snake."
"Never mind," I said to him, "we will go after turtle's eggs."
We had reached the island just in good time, for soon after we heard the roaring of the leopards. They had scented us.
Happily the water was between us. Their rage knew no bounds, for they saw the impassable barrier between us. I said to Rogala: "Hold one of the little leopards up by the neck so that they can see him." Then I fired and succeeded in killing one of the leopards. The other then fled, and we never heard of it again.
That night I slept with "Bulldog" within my arms, and rested my head on the belt holding my revolvers to be ready in case the men we had seen should come back.
The following day we went into the forest in search of game, in spite of our fear that the leopard might still be in the neighborhood. The first thing we did was to collect berries and nuts for Ndova. Finding no game, we returned to our island. Ndova was delighted when we brought him berries. When he could eat no more, he filled his two pouches to their full capacity.
LEAVE THE ISLAND FOR OUR CAMP--MONKEYS AMONG THE TREES--FIND EVERYTHING UNTOUCHED--I GET LOST FOLLOWING NGINAS--AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND KOOLA NUTS--CAMP UNDER THE KOOLA TREE--ANOTHER NIGHT IN THE FOREST