"Tell the Tubus to come down," he said to John. The Hausa jabbered to the men in the tree; they neither moved nor answered. He shouted to them again, still without effect. "Plenty silly chaps," he said scornfully. "Perhaps they think we shall kill them," said Challis. "Tell them we have come to save them." It required a great deal of eloquence on John's part before the negroes were convinced that the white man wished to save, not to take their lives. Even then they hesitated from fear of the crocodiles. To encourage them John beat the water noisily with his paddle, all the time abusing them as "silly chaps." At last they lowered themselves cautiously from the branches and stood clinging to each other in the centre of the raft. The crocodiles hovering round seemed to be conscious that their prey was escaping them, or, as Challis thought, felt that their dinner was assured, for they made a sudden dash at the raft. Some of them got their snouts over the edge, and while Challis and John belaboured them with their paddles, the Tubus fell on their knees and crouched howling. The crocodiles sank into the water, and Challis and his man began to paddle shoreward with all their energy. But soon the reptiles, finding that they were none the worse for their battering, the blows of the paddles being but flicks on their tough hides, returned to the attack. This time the danger was more serious. The slight raft rocked about and dipped at the rear as Challis and John smote desperately with their poles at the crocodiles, some of which had pushed their snouts and forelegs over the edge. The Tubus, who might have maintained the balance by going to the other end, cowered and howled in the middle. Challis and his man had to withdraw from the edge in order to avoid being capsized, and the reptiles scrambled farther on. John's pole snapped on the back of the foremost, but he thrust the splintered end into the monster's eye. At the same moment Challis plunged his pole down the throat of another. The two strokes were almost too effective. The crocodiles slid back into the water, and Challis had only just time to spring forward and prevent the raft from overturning. [Illustration: THE FIGHT WITH THE CROCODILES] There was a brief breathing space. The monsters had disappeared. But the raft was stationary, and the poles were gone. It was impossible to propel it farther except by paddling with their hands. They were beginning to do this, Challis on one side, John on the other, when both started back simultaneously as the hideous snouts once more rose above the surface. The scene had been watched with growing excitement by the crowd on shore. Realising the peril of the situation, some of the men began to hurl spears at the reptiles, which were again closing in behind the raft. This was more dangerous to the men than to the crocodiles. One of the spears fell on the raft. Challis snatched it up, telling John to order the men to cease throwing.