Tumbling up on deck we were surprised to hear proceeding from our port quarter the unmistakable notes notes of the European voice, mingled with a slight touch of another accent which blended with it, which though now seeming familiar to my ear, just as quickly lost itself to my perception.

"What was that?" oalled the captain.

"Couldn't say, sir. I only caught the words 'old chap."" "You've been asleep."

As the watchman commenced his denial of the insinuation, once again the ory broke out. This time I distinctly heard the words "old chap" myself. "He's right enough," I replied, "but they come from a great distance-seems to be more than one shouting."

The captain's face lit up. "It's an echo," he cried, "and we're probably nearer to the party than we imagine; get a megaphone," he called to the watch, "and send a hail-then fire the gun."

After the echoes of the gun had died away, we listened intently for an answer, but strain our ears as we would, not as much as a whisper disturbed the air.

Next morning we were up with the sun, and after breakfast got out the launch's gig and pulled ashore, making for the foot of the hill that sloped from the water's edge. After a short scrutiny we began the ascent, with with the object of thoroughly scanning the surrounding country from its summit in the hope of locat

ing the overdue party. The soramble up the mount took us nearly half the morning— the going was comparatively easy, but we stopped for observations several times; at last we reached the summit, or as near as would do for our purpose. Although we weren't more than three thousand feet above the river level, yet we were 80 remote from the world that our sense of isolation was complete: the inhabited world lay at our feet, but we stood on a different planet removed from it by undreamt-of space; the turmoil of the elements about us intensified the indescribable majesty of that stupendous reach. Over the higher foothills to the north-east piled a dense copper-coloured hazea dust-storm from the plainsfor already the sun had completely dried the ground after the previous night's drenching, but to the east we simply gazed into space itself. never knew until then what space meant; I stood on an overhanging pinnacle of rock, and by looking straight ahead seemed to be as far away from the earth as I was from the sky.

I

Our journey to the the hill proved abortive; we didn't even catch sight of the fisherman of the previous evening, although we could see farther than any man was capable of travelling in the between times. Upon our return to the launch we held a consultation, and decided to go in search of the exploring party immediately. The rainy season was

just over, and with the exception of a few small tornadoes we didn't expect much in that line. Our first course of action was to retreat to the lagoon which we had forsaken the previous day, as we weren't certain how long the river which we were then in would hold sufficient water for flotation, and we had no wish to get stranded in ease of a drop in its level.

The following day, the Assayer, one of the machineoperators, and myself, with thirty carriers and three hardy little horses, started due east; along with these we took a further thirty oarriers to do the rough and heavy work of the first few days' march, intending to send them back upon the third day, so leaving our main party of ten nearly as fresh as when we started.

The first day's march wasn't more than ten miles, as none of us were in fit condition for great exertions after our long oramping in the limited space of the launch; that night's camp fire was of dried brushwood which lay in profusion everywhere. The next night camp was pitohed after covering about fifteen miles, and our fire was the same as our first night, as wood was still plentiful.

By the third night we were a good forty miles into the heart of semi-arid country with very little timber; occasionally we came across water, just sufficient to meet our needs; it was of a very brackish flavour, slightly tinctured with alkali, and had collected in old pits made by the natives when

digging for tin. Next morning we parted with our extra carriers. About the third hour's march we saw the last of them as they were lost to view in the waist-high brush. Most of us were now complaining of sore eyes as a result of the constant staring at the dreary unchanging ground; the blinding hot sun shone upon the particles of sand which reflected into our eyes like the light from a burnished mirror, and after the cool green shade of the forest oreeks.we found it very trying.

About the fifth day there was a general improvement in our eyes, and the first soreness wore off. We expected to come across signs of the party towards the seventh day, or the eighth at latest. That day saw a betterment in our eyes, but not in our tempers. All that afternoon I noticed a surliness amongst the carriers, which I first of all attributed to the loss of their companions; next day was like the last, only worse; early and all as it was in the progress of the expedition, things began to assume a killing monotony. A deep brooding silence came over the carriers, and they seemed to take the spirit of the place to their very hearts.

Upon the sixth day the sun. rose as usual in her early morning

copper garment, gradually changing to her midday blinding gold. By midday the obsession of the trail began to master our senses, and towards the afternoon, in one spell of stillness which could almost be felt, a

mirage spread screens of fantasy out for our entertainment curious cliffs, oddshaped mountains, inverted palms were displayed in an attraction of colour that was never seen outside a Turner painting in watercolours. water colours. Nothing changed materially the horizon moved - we moved, but we took our landscape with us. We were like children walking inside a large hoop, and kicking it forward as we stepped. Not a breath of wind escaped from the cloudless sky: we were alone in a lifeless world; we had pushed beyond the habitat of all oreatures, ever onward into the still wastes; with eager eyes we searched the dusty plains of silence, but there was no speck of life to grace the burnt brown run of death. By the seventh day the mirages became too common to deceive even our shattered disoriminating faculties: night descended upon us dewless and dreary, and we turned in to sleep with aching heads and sore limbs after the toil and labour of the day.

Towards morn on the eighth day the landscape changed with almost theatrical suddenness-strange odd-shaped hills, abrupt and and rugged, oropped up on either hand. That evening, before we had decided upon our night's camping ground, we ran across & herd of humpbacked cattle with a Filani herd. He was questioned in Hausa, and he turned out to be a deserter from the camp of the party of which we were

in search, whose whereabouts he indicated by simply pointing to the east, and muttering, "Chung" (there). (there). We tried to induce him to accompany us, but, judging by his obvious reluctance to our company, we concluded that he hadn't been too well treated by his late employers, and had had already quite sufficient of men of our colour. Upon rounding a small hill we were greatly surprised to find that we had reached the end of our journey, for there, not two miles away, glistened a sheet of water, surrounded by dried grass, exaetly similar to actly similar to the veldt grass of South Africa, and set a few yards from the water's edge a couple of huts; even at that distance the unmistakeable work of white men.

The sheet of water turned out to be a dam built to hold back the water for tin-sluicing. A wild yell of delight left the threats of our "boys" as if by mutual consent, and each man quickened his pace pace unoonsciously. I thought that the shout would have instantly brought to the open any persons who might have occupied the huts, but we were less than a hundred yards from them before any one appeared. Even then the indifference and boredom of the solitary figure was so apparent that it was almost sufficient to make one turn back immediately. Presently the figure began to roll as if drunk. We discovered it was one of the least important members of the party, not necessary to describe here, who had been left behind by the

others while they went on an exploring expedition up the river, which ran into the dam from the eastern end. He expected them back almost any moment, in fact had taken our shout for theirs, and therefore didn't trouble to hurry himself. As he explained matters, my eye suddenly caught something moving on the water's surface just under the shadow of an overhung growth, and next moment a dug-out canoe, holding five men, came into view. Directly they sighted us they rent the air with a shout which made the rest of our party turn round, and instantly began jabbing the water so furiously with their paddles that the small canoe began to roll. Not possessing the balance of the native born to the unstability of the oraft, I could see that they were in jeopardy, for two of them had to drop their paddles and begin to bail.

Making all allowances for the eagerness of men who have spent a couple of years in isolation to greet friends from home, I found myself a little impatient at their recklessness, However, they came alongside without accident, and one by one left the craft. A man in a blue shirt, with green neckcloth, came first; his beard and hair were red. Standing in front of my party, I held out my hand to greet him, but he turned to wait for his comrades, and not until all four men had landed did he come forward.

There seemed to be something odd in this. My first

words were of inquiry, and seemed to bring a look of anxiety into each face; the man in the blue shirt answered that there had been no aceident of any kind.

“We are all safe as far as we know," he said. "The doctor is away on a trip to the east with all the 'boys' we had left but one, and he has now deserted us."

"So you have had sickness amongst the boys?" I asked. "Any deaths?"

them

"Yes, sir," he replied. "You see it's like this-blackwater broke out amongst all together, but we couldn't induce them to let the doctor see them, as they said that what medicine was good for white man no be good for black man; they refused to take it, and all died with the exception of five, who are at present away with the doctor, not counting the deserter."

He spoke readily, as if anxious to share some news which was too much for him to carry alone. to carry alone. I replied as cheerfully as I could, and inquired about the rainy season.

While one of my "boys" was getting out some liquor comforts, I took a closer look at them: except for one who was standing farther away from us, they all seemed very much alike. He was obviously still a lad, not more than twenty-two years old, and attracted my attention because of his boyish appearance; the others were heavier and darker, and evidently none of them had put scissors

A second glance at their faces showed me the cause of it. I should have noticed it sooner but for the fact that the hair on their faces concealed a pair of hollow and emaciated cheeks in each case, and I knew that the terrible lifeless feeling left behind as a reminder by malaria was accountable. I therefore understood how they must have felt as they kept putting it off and off from time to time, as only those who dwell in the tropios can understand. The man in the blue shirt was bigger and burlier than his comrades, and evidently older, and 88 I noticed this I had the impression that all of them looked older than I expected to find them.

The boyish-looking lad finished a sentence, and his lips olosed in a straight line while a line ran down from the side of each nostril, making his mouth triangular.

"Yes," he was saying; "in August we had it one hundred and twenty-five in the shade, and it rained for six weeks without a break.”

"That's bad," I said. "Much sickness?"

"We all had malaria, but the natives had black water as well; it was then they died."

By this time the steward

When they had filled up, I began

"Well, gentlemen, it is a great pleasure to meet you and have the opportunity

to toast the success of the expedition. Let us drink to the safety of you all, inoluding the doetor, who is not amongst us. I suppose, judging by appearance, this is Mr Oxley sitting on my left, but I cannot name the others. However, that will come with acquaintance. Here's to the hea-"

The moment I had spoken Oxley's name I had smiled down at my neighbour; but I had no answering smile, and suddenly the glass was crushed to atoms between his fingers. He stared stupidly at the litter of glass and wine as the others sprang to their feet. Suddenly he banged his hand down upon the table.

"What made you think I was Oxley?" he rasped. "My name is Phoenix!"

This outburst was as disconcerting as his action had been. But I made shift to blurt out some words of apology, and the young boyish-looking one jumped up, and seizing Phoenix's out hand, led him into another apartment of the hut to have it bandaged.

I immediately attributed the outburst on the part of Phoenix to liver, knowing the feeling of unreasoning irritability that can be produced