It was with difficulty that he kept the trail, for there were many paths through the jungle at this point--crossing and crisscrossing, forking and branching in all
directions, and over them all had passed natives innumerable, coming and going.
Presently a Manyuema forged ahead of his companions; there was none to see from what direction death came, and so it came quickly, and a moment later those behind stumbled over the dead body of their comrade--the inevitable arrow piercing the still heart.
Those of us who could fled in all directions into the jungle, but more were killed.
A glance in the direction toward which he was looking was sufficient to apprise me of his aims and at the same time to fill me with the dread of dire apprehension, for, streaming in from all directions across the meadow, from out of the forest, and from the far distance of the flat land across the river, I could see converging upon us a hundred different lines of wildly leaping creatures such as we were now engaged with, and with them some strange new monsters which ran with great swiftness, now erect and now upon all fours.
As he shot a quick glance in the direction I indicated he smiled.
At last everything was ready, and we were about to set out when our pickets, a long, thin line of which had surrounded our camp at all times, reported that a great body of what appeared to be Sagoths and Mahars were approaching from the
direction of Phutra.
I decided that at first I would travel directly south in the hope that I might in that direction find some familiar landmark.
Presently, as I stood enjoying the lovely scene, as insatiate for Nature's wonders as if I had not looked upon similar landscapes countless times, a sound of shouting broke from the direction of the woods.
In this direction he made his way, while from out of the forest about him the cries of the flesh-eaters increased in volume and ferocity.
And, too, it picked out in clear relief for any curious eyes that chanced to be cast in that direction, the figure of the giant ape-man moving across the clearing.
These must possess all the authorities which are connected with this object, and with every other that may be allotted to their particular cognizance and
direction. Not to confer in each case a degree of power commensurate to the end, would be to violate the most obvious rules of prudence and propriety, and improvidently to trust the great interests of the nation to hands which are disabled from managing them with vigor and success.
Here and there among the moss and marsh plants this scent was very strong, but it was impossible to determine in which
direction it grew stronger or fainter.
