"I say, father," said John, as they came to a halt, "we mustn’t light a fire, or we’ll give ourselves away." "Quite right. We shall have to do without our cocoa to-night, and keep an extra sharp look-out for lions." The white men had to satisfy themselves with biscuit and water from a brook; the natives ate some of the roasted beans without which they never travel. With the first glimmer of dawn the party were up and on the trail. Two hours’ hard marching, at a pace which the natives had never known before, brought them up with the thieves. Coja was the first to catch sight of them, and he held up his hand as a sign to the rest to halt, informing Mr. Halliday in a whisper that the fugitives were only a little distance ahead, in the act of crossing a stream. Half of them had, indeed, already crossed; the remainder were trying to induce the donkeys to face the water. "Can we catch them?" Mr. Halliday asked. "Yes, sah, go round about," answered the man. He led them in a direction at right angles to the path, so as to make a circuit and come upon the runaways from among the thick vegetation at the brink of the river. But Coja’s advice turned out to be bad. They had reached the bank and were wheeling to burst upon the Swahilis, when they were suddenly descried by those who had crossed. A shout warned the men struggling with the donkeys; without a moment’s hesitation they let go of the animals and took to their heels. When Mr. Halliday came upon the scene nothing was in sight but the donkeys, which on being released had scrambled up the bank out of the river and begun to bray with pleasure at the riddance of their loads. "We ought to have come straight instead of round about," cried Mr. Halliday, vexed at his failure to punish the men. It was obviously hopeless to pursue them further. The scrub was dense; the Swahilis had good rifles and ammunition; and being relieved of impedimenta, the loads of goods having been left on the farther bank when they fled, they could travel much faster than Mr. Halliday and his party, fatigued after their forced march. "We must be satisfied with having got back our donkeys and their loads," said Mr. Halliday. "The men are a good riddance; but I grudge those rifles of ours. However, it can’t be helped. We must keep a sharp eye on our people, and fire out at once any we can’t trust." The loads abandoned by the runaways were brought across the river without interference, and after they had been strapped on the donkeys’ backs the little caravan started to return to the farm. CHAPTER THE SIXTH--Raided by Lions