"But you said you were going to ask Mak again about where the big stones are," said Mark, and he signed to the black, who was standing leaning upon his spear watching them, and now in response to the boy's signal, came up at once. "You ask him, my boy," said the doctor, who was carefully examining the contents of his knapsack and tightening the cork of the little bottle before rolling it up again in the lint and bandages. Mark seized the opportunity. "Here, Mak," he cried, "big stones? Where?" The black turned at once and pointed with his spear in the direction of the forest. "There, I told you so!" said Mark. Then to the black, "Well, go on; show the way." Mak, who evidently understood, swung himself half round, and now pointed right along to the edge of the forest. "That's clear enough, Mark," said the doctor. "He means we have to go round, keeping to the edge and along the open plain where the bullocks can trek." "Buck Denham--trek!" cried Mak, nodding his head, and using his spear to indicate the direction. "Big stones," said the doctor, and he now pointed along the edge of the forest. "Mak find," said the black, nodding his head vigorously. "Oh, it's evident enough," said the doctor quietly. "He knows what we want, and some day will guide us there. Well, we have plenty of time, boys, and I suppose you are in no hurry to get back to the manor?" "No, no, of course not; but I do want to see that little fellow again." Mark had his desire fulfilled the next morning at daybreak, when instead of the numerous procession, the little chief, as they considered him, appeared, accompanied only by the four bearers with the patient and four others well loaded with twice as many big turkey-like birds, one of which showed the way in which they had been obtained, for a broken arrow projected from its back. The game was handed over to the white foreloper, who bore the birds off to the fire to begin plucking them, the two keepers joining him to quicken the task, while the bearers set down the hurdle beneath the tree, and quite as a matter of course Dan appeared with the tin bowl and a bucket of water. Mark hurriedly fetched the doctor's knapsack and helped over the dressing of the wound, watching the while the change which had come over the little patient who lay seriously and fixedly gazing at Mark, while, as soon as the task was completed he stretched out his uninjured arm so that he could touch Mark's hand. As on the previous morning Mak stood like a spear-armed sentry till all was over, uttered a word or two like an order, and the pigmy party marched back to the edge of the forest and disappeared. "Well, Mark," said the doctor, who had been very observant, "I suppose that touch meant `Thank you and good-bye.' But he might have paid me the same compliment. However, he evidently considers you to be the chief." "No, he could not have done that," said Mark. "Old Mak shows them all that he considers himself the black boss."