BEING LOST IN THE FOREST. 45 
the darkness gave him warning that he should 
have to spend another night there. This 
time, he thought, he would tie himself into 
the tree, so that he might, if possible, get a 
little sleep without being in danger of falling. 
The cord he used was one of the vegetable 
cables I told you about in the first chapter, 
and that is as tough and strong as rope. 
He might have had a better night, but his 
clothes were soon saturated with the heavy 
and chilling dew that falls in these tropical 
countries. And by-and-by he heard a loud 
barking and howling that was almost deafen- 
ing. It was the jackals in close pursuit of 
their prey. 
The jackals are more voracious than the 
wolves, and will attack everything they 
meet with. All day they are hidden in 
their dens, but when night comes, they issue 
forth in packs, and scour the forest round. 
The jackal that first scents the prey gives 
notice to the rest by a loud howl, and all the 
pack answer him. The lion often hears the 
cry, and follows at a distance. Then, when 
the jackals have run down their prey, and are 
just going to uevour it, in the lion steps, and 
