"By George!" cried John, breathless, as he poled his raft up to Ferrier’s, "I don’t think I could have faced it if I had known what to expect." "You did famously," said Ferrier, laughing. "I was afraid you’d come a cropper on that rock. How are your men? Mine are positively sea-sick." "I didn’t give them a thought. They’ll be all right now, at any rate. Coja stuck to his job gamely, and so did Said Mohammed. We’ll have to do something for them when we get home." "Do you think we have seen the last of Juma’s lot now?" "Surely they’ll have had enough of it by this time?" "But if your guess is correct, the fellow has missed the aim of his life in losing the ivory. If I were in his place I’d certainly have another try. The current is getting slower and slower; they could easily outstrip us on the bank." "That might be awkward for us. We don’t know anything about the river a few miles down-stream. There may be more rapids. And look: d’you see men coming over the bluff behind us?" "Yes, swarming like ants. Evidently they mean to chase us, and they’ll catch us in an hour at this rate. We had better try punting." The rate of the current here was probably not more than two or two and a half miles an hour. Vigorous poling increased the speed of the rafts slightly, but they were too heavy to move above a walking pace. A bend in the river hid the pursuers from view. When next seen they were considerably nearer. "We could get on faster if the men walked," said Ferrier. "Let us land them on the right bank. The enemy appear to be all on the left, and we can take them in again if they come to too close quarters." The suggestion seemed a good one, and was quickly put in effect. The men, who had had a fright and thorough drenching, were glad enough to stretch their legs on dry land again, and the rafts, relieved of their weight, responded more readily to the sturdy thrusts of the poles. Again the enemy were hidden, but catching sight of them presently through the trees, John cried-- "I say, they are cutting off to their left. The river makes another bend, I suppose, and they’re going to post themselves before we arrive." "I only hope the bank isn’t high," said Ferrier. "If it is they can fire down on us, and the mischief is, we can’t reply and attend to the rafts as well. Hadn’t we better chuck the ivory into the river and take our own things and make a bolt for it?" "Not I," said John. "I don’t like the idea of skedaddling at all, and I’m not going to lose the ivory now. That would bring Juma out on top, and he could crow over us after all." "There’s a good deal of obstinacy in you, John," said Ferrier, smiling. "We shall have to fight, and I shouldn’t be surprised if our hottest time is yet to come."