“Latest advices from Entebbe state that the native uprisings at Kargos, a missionary station, are more serious than at first supposed. The whole missionary settlement was wiped out, and the missionaries, a Mr. Brown and his wife, were taken into the interior by the natives. It is understood that the Home Office will take immediate action, though the missionaries were United States subjects. The American consul has made an appeal for help.” “That’s fierce!” cried Joe. “That’s where my sister was--at Kargos, near Entebbe. Now she’s been carried off into the jungle.” “It doesn’t say so,” spoke Blake, clinging to a last hope. “No, but if Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been carried off, it is likely that Jessie went with them. This sure is tough!” “What is?” asked Mr. Duncan, as he approached the lads. Joe tried to hide the paper, but too late. CHAPTER VIII INTO THE INTERIOR For a moment Joe and Blake did not know whether or not to tell Mr. Duncan what they had seen in the paper. Then the realization came to Joe that he could not hope to conceal from his father the bad news. “We’re up against it, Dad!” he exclaimed, with a brave attempt to pass it off. “How’s that, son?” “Jessie is gone!” “Gone?” There was alarm in Mr. Duncan’s tone. “Yes, the mission station where she was with Mr. and Mrs. Brown has been raided by the natives, and they have been carried into the jungle.” Mr. Duncan looked stunned for a moment, and then exclaimed: “Into the jungle! My poor little girl! But we’ll go into the interior after her. Joe, we’ll get her away from the savages, if it’s at all possible!” “That’s what we will!” cried the brother of the missing girl. “And I’m with you!” added Blake. “Count me in on that!” said another voice, and they turned to behold C. C. Piper. “I heard what you said,” went on the actor. “Don’t be discouraged. We’ll get her, all right. Those natives may not be half so bad as they’re painted, and they may treat your sister and the missionaries fairly decent. “What if they are in the jungle? We can follow them. I didn’t learn to shoot big game for nothing. We’ll trek into the interior; the sooner the better. It will all come out right yet, you’ll see!” This talk, so much in contrast with the way C. C. usually spoke, had its effect. Joe, Blake and Mr. Duncan felt more hopeful. “It’s like the time on the beach,” whispered Blake. “It seems that when there’s an emergency C. C. jumps into it and forgets his gloom.” “That’s right,” agreed Joe. “It may come back to him, but, for the time being, he’s jollier than usual, and I’m glad of it.” “So am I,” said Mr. Duncan, for he knew something of C. C. Piper. “If only we could make faster time!” exclaimed Mr. Duncan, when they were once more under way. “It seems that I never knew a steamer to make such slow progress.” “And yet we are doing fairly well,” said C. C. “Now, have you formed any plans?”