The lad was running close to the record when he disappeared. In trying to find a more comfortable posture, so he could apply himself to an interesting study of his captors, Ken made the startling discovery that the branch which upheld him was splitting from the tree-trunk. His heart began to pound in his breast; then it went up into his throat. Every move he made--for he had started to edge toward the tree--widened the little white split. “Boys, my branch is breaking!” he called, piercingly. “Can’t you get another?” returned George. “No; I daren’t move! Hurry, boys! If you don’t scare these brutes off I’m a goner!” Ken’s eyes were riveted upon the gap where the branch was slowly separating from the tree-trunk. He glanced about to see if he could not leap to another branch. There was nothing near that would hold him. In desperation he resolved to drop the rifle, cautiously get to his feet upon the branch, and with one spring try to reach the tree. When about to act upon this last chance he heard Pepe’s shrill yell and a crashing in the brush. Then followed the unmistakable roar and crackling of fire. Pepe had fired the brush--no, he was making his way toward Ken, armed with a huge torch. “Pepe, you’ll fire the jungle!” cried Ken, forgetting what was at stake and that Pepe could not understand much English. But Ken had been in one forest-fire and remembered it with horror. The _javelin_ stirred uneasily, and ran around under Ken, tumbling over one another. When Pepe burst through the brush, holding before him long-stemmed palm leaves flaring in hissing flames, the whole pack of pigs bowled away into the forest at breakneck speed. Ken leaped down, and the branch came with him. George came running up, his face white, his eyes big. Behind him rose a roar that Ken thought might be another drove of pigs till he saw smoke and flame. “Boys, the jungle’s on fire. Run for the river!” In their hurry they miscalculated the location of camp and dashed out of the jungle over a steep bank, and they all had a tumble. It was necessary to wade to reach the rocky ledge. Ken shook hands with Pepe. “George, tell him that was a nervy thing to do. He saved my life, I do believe.” “You fellows did a lot of hollering,” said Hal, from his perch in the boat. “Say, young man, you’ve got to go back after my gun. Why didn’t you do what I told you? Foolish, to run into danger that way!” declared Ken, severely. “You don’t suppose I was going to overlook a chance to see Ken Ward treed, do you?” “Well, you saw him, and that was no joke. But I wish Pepe could have scared those pigs off without firing the jungle.” “Pepe says it’ll give the ticks a good roasting,” said George. “We’ll have roast pig, anyway,” added Ken.