266 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



foot rope about his neck. Seeing their master 

 a prisoner, Barrett's porters bolted into the 

 brush; two of them were struck down with clubs 

 and spears. 



Barrett was then made to rise and walk. 

 Three men, who carried his shotgun, elephant 

 rifle, and repeater, walked beside him and fre- 

 quently threatened him. A fourth man led 

 him by the rope along a well-beaten trail. 



As he plodded along, a captive of villainous 

 savages, Barrett wondered what would be the 

 outcome. That death would eventually end 

 his misery he had little doubt; but in what 

 form? That was the question uppermost in his 

 mind. He thought of the many methods of tor- 

 ture that savage brains can devise, and he won- 

 dered which one of them it would be his fate 

 to draw. 



Barrett hoped that some of his porters had 

 escaped and that they would succeed in passing 

 through the treacherous country safely and in 

 bringing help. But when he realised that that 

 would take a week at least he knew that he 

 must find some way to outwit his captors. He 

 could not speak their language, and therefore 

 he could not threaten them with what would 



