benodoubtofthat,"saidSummerlee,grimly,"foronehasjustdisappearedbehindyourshirt-collar."
Challengersprangintotheairbellowinglikeabull,andtorefranticallyathiscoatandshirttogetthemoff.SummerleeandIlaughedsothatwecouldhardlyhelphim.Atlastweexposedthatmonstroustorso(fifty-fourinches,bythetailor'stape).Hisbodywasallmattedwithblackhair,outofwhichjunglewepickedthewanderingtickbeforeithadbittenhim.Butthebushesroundwerefullofthehorriblepests,anditwasclearthatwemustshiftourcamp.
Butfirstofallitwasnecessarytomakeourarrangementswiththefaithfulnegro,whoappearedpresentlyonthepinnaclewithanumberoftinsofcocoaandbiscuits,whichhetossedovertous.Ofthestoreswhichremainedbelowhewasorderedtoretainasmuchaswouldkeephimfortwomonths.TheIndiansweretohavetheremainderasarewardfortheirservicesandaspaymentfortakingourlettersbacktotheAmazon.Somehourslaterwesawtheminsinglefilefaroutupontheplain,eachwithabundleonhishead,makingtheirwaybackalongthepathwehadcome.Zambooccupiedourlittletentatthebaseofthepinnacle,andthereheremained,ouronelinkwiththeworldbelow.
Andnowwehadtodecideuponourimmediatemovements.Weshiftedourpositionfromamongthetick-ladenbushesuntilwecametoasmallclearingthicklysurroundedbytreesuponallsides.Thereweresomeflatslabsofrockinthecenter,withanexcellentwellcloseby,andtherewesatincleanlycomfortwhilewemadeourfirstplansfortheinvasionofthisnewcountry.Birdswerecallingamongthefoliage—especiallyonewithapeculiarwhoopingcrywhichwasnewtous—butbeyondthesesoundstherewerenosignsoflife.
Ourfirstcarewastomakesomesortoflistofourownstores,sothatwemightknowwhatwehadtorelyupon.WhatwiththethingswehadourselvesbroughtupandthosewhichZambohadsentacrossontherope,wewerefairlywellsupplied.Mostimportantofall,inviewofthedangerswhichmightsurroundus,wehadourfourriflesandonethousandthreehundredrounds,alsoashot-gun,butnotmorethanahundredandfiftymediumpelletcartridges.Inthematterofprovisionswehadenoughtolastforseveralweeks,withasufficiencyoftobaccoandafewscientificimplements,includingalargetelescopeandagoodfield-glass.Allthesethingswecollectedtogetherintheclearing,andasafirstprecaution,wecutdownwithourhatchetandknivesanumberofthornybushes,whichwepiledroundinacirclesomefifteenyardsindiameter.Thiswastobeourheadquartersforthetime—ourplaceofrefugeagainstsuddendangerandtheguard-houseforou