Meanwhile the column had scattered far and wide to escape the second rhinoceros, which had apparently taken fright at the number of men, and had now disappeared. It was an hour before the negroes were collected and the march resumed. CHAPTER XXVI DISASTER The capture of Goruba cheered the whole garrison of the fort. Curiously enough, it was rather as the evening visitor who disturbed them than as the leader of the besiegers that the negroes regarded him. No longer would they be worried by the mysterious intruder. Kulana had, of course, told them about the hole in the wall of the well. They were eager to see for themselves the passage through which the giant had come, but Royce had forbidden that for the present. Royce on his part, while glad enough to have Goruba in his hands, was in some doubt as to how he could turn that fact to account. Should he inform the Tubus or not? He tried to think the matter out thoroughly. The Tubus would miss their leader as soon as morning broke. What would they do? No doubt they would at first simply wonder where he had gone, and why; but they would expect him to return and would feel no alarm. As time passed, however, his continued absence would perplex them. It was pretty clear that they knew nothing of the secret passage. They might begin to search for him, perhaps supposing that he had met with an accident. Not finding him, they would grow more and more anxious; the mystery would paralyse them; they might give up the siege. What would they do if they learnt that he was a prisoner? The fact might equally discourage them; or it might enrage them and spur them on to a desperate attempt to rescue him. On the whole, it seemed better to keep them in ignorance, so Royce decided to lie low and say nothing. It was important at any rate that the prisoner should be securely guarded. Accordingly, when morning dawned, Royce had him carried to a little cell adjoining the room where Kulana did the cooking. There was a low doorway between the two rooms, and through this Kulana could keep his eye on Goruba. Royce had the prisoner tied hand and foot, and instructed Kulana to give him food and water at intervals. Then, to prevent a rescue, he took some men down the well, through the passage and cave, and into the tunnel, which he ordered them to block up at the farther end with stones and earth. Thus, if the Tubus in their search for Goruba should light upon the secret entrance among the trees, they would see only a mass of rubbish and probably not pry further. Two days passed. Goruba was sullen. He took his meals in silence under the eyes of three of the Hausas, who released his hands for a few minutes, and bound them again when he had finished. Gambaru bathed his injured wrist, but he expressed no gratitude.