CHAPTER VI.
A SLIGHT ADVENTURE.
The boat owned by the explorers was much heavier than that in which DocClancy and his villainous crowd had gone up the river.
Thus the latter could be rowed faster, and it did not take our friendslong to see that they were gradually being left behind.
"Our intention was to follow this river until we reached the branch thatflows northward," said Jack Howard. "We then would go up that as far aswe could, and then make the rest of our travels on foot. The man youcall Doc Clancy is leading us over the very course we want to take, sofar."
"But he might change his course," spoke up Van.
"It doesn't matter whether he does or not," returned the youngEnglishman. "We will follow him wherever he goes. The professor, doctorand myself came to Africa principally for adventure, and I am sure wewill get enough of it if we keep on the trail of a murderer and a numberof scoundrels who are as bad as he is."
They continued on their way up the river, keeping a sharp lookout oneither bank so as not to run in an ambush.
When night came they went ashore at a pleasant-looking spot and pitchedtheir camp.
As soon as darkness set in the wild beasts of the forest began to makethemselves heard.
The blacks promptly built a number of fires to keep them away.
The two tents were utilized by the six who constituted the party ofwhites.
The air was very warm and close, and the ceaseless hum of the insectsmade it almost impossible for Van to sleep during the first part of thenight.
As he was to stand watch with Jack Howard the last four hours of thenight, it behooved him to catch as much sleep as he could.
It was past midnight when he fell into a doze.
He was just dropping off into a sound slumber when he was awakened bythe shrill cry of a female in the near vicinity.
Quick as a flash, he sprang to his feet and listened.
"Help--help! Oh, save me!"
Again the cry was repeated.
In the twinkling of an eye the whole camp was aroused.
Seizing their rifles, Van and Jack Howard sprang through the denseundergrowth in the direction the cries came from.
It was tedious work forcing their way through the thorns and dank weeds,but they accomplished it in short order.
As they emerged into an opening about two hundred yards from their campthey beheld a truly startling scene.
A young and beautiful girl was struggling in the midst of four men, whohad seized her and were making efforts to stifle her cries.
Both Van and Jack were astonished beyond measure when they beheld thefair creature, who was as white and as civilized in appearance as theywere, in those wild parts.
But neither lacked in coolness, and the next instant their rifles wereleveled at the men, while the voice of Jack Howard rang out:
"Hands up, you cowards! Unhand that lady at once, or you die!"
Had a bombshell exploded in their midst the four villains could not havebeen more astonished.
With one accord they let go their hold upon their captive and turnedtheir startled gaze upon the intruders.
As they did so, Van gave a low cry of astonishment.
One of the men was no other than Doc Clancy!
As his eyes rested upon the villain our hero forgot everything else,and, with a single bound, sprang forward and seized Clancy by thethroat.
"I have got you at last, you murderous scoundrel!" he cried. "Down onyour knees, or I will choke the life from you."
Again was Van Vincent too rash.
With a muttered oath Doc Clancy tore himself from the infuriated boy'sclutch and struck him a fearful blow between the eyes.
Jack Howard was unable, at that moment, to render Van any assistance, ashe had caught the girl in his arms to keep her from falling to theground.
By the time he had gently deposited her upon the ground the fourscoundrels were lost in the mazes of the forest, and Van was strugglingto his feet in a dazed manner.
The whole thing took place in less than a minute, and by the time themate and the rest of those belonging to the camp reached the scene, itwas all over.
The mate and Prof. Drearland conducted Van back to camp, followed byJack, who carried the unconscious girl in his arms.
They had scarcely reached it when they heard the hurried splashing ofoars, which told them that Doc Clancy and his crowd had taken to theirboat and were proceeding up the river.
By the aid of a little brandy Jack Howard managed to bring his faircharge out of her faint, and when her eyes rested upon the kindly facesabout her a sigh of relief left the girl's lips.
She explained how she came to be in the clutches of the rascally men ina very few words.
She was from the little town of Cooloo, where she had always lived. Herparents were natives of Cape Town, but since her earliest infancy hadlived on the banks of the Congo River.
Her father made his living by hunting and trapping, and had started witha boat load of skins down the river, to a trading station a few milesfrom its mouth.
The girl, who gave her name as Masie Langford, accompanied her father onhis trip.
That night they camped on the banks of the river about a quarter of amile above our friends.
Being a little restless, Masie left her tent near midnight and strolleddown to the water's edge.
She had scarcely reached it when she was pounced upon by four men andcarried off into the forest.
She did not get an opportunity to cry out until she uttered the screamsheard by our friends.
Just as the girl concluded her story the blast of a horn was heard froma point up the river.
"That is father!" exclaimed the girl. "He has just found out that I ammissing. I must go to him at once. I am much obliged to you, gentlemen,for your kindness."
She turned her bright eyes upon Jack Howard as she spoke.
That young man promptly took the hint and offered to escort her back toher father.
Accordingly the two set out along the river bank, our hero and hiscompanions taking seats about the fire to await Jack's return.
It was the best part of an hour before the young man got back, and whenhe did so, he said he had placed the girl safely under her father'scare, who seemed to be a nice old man, indeed, and was a very talkativeone, too.
"Masie Langford is too nice a girl to be living in these wilds," said heafter a pause. "But, pshaw! I suppose that is the last we shall ever seeof her."
The next morning the party once more set out on their journey up theriver.
Jack Howard was on the lookout for the boat of Langford, the hunter, butas that had gone down the river at the breaking of day, he did not getan opportunity to see the girl he had become suddenly interested in.
And so they kept on for five days, finding traces of Doc Clancy on thebanks of the river almost every night.
They had now reached a branch of the river which pointed northeasttoward the very heart of the unknown interior.
It did not take them long to find that Clancy had gone that way, astraces of camp fires could be found on the bank.
"I was sure they would go this way," said Jack Howard. "Clancy'scompanions know the course we had mapped out, and they think we are insearch of some vast treasure; and, consequently, they want to get thereahead of us."
The further our friends proceeded up the now narrow stream, the moredangers they were forced to encounter.
Crocodiles were now as thick as the hair on the back of a dog, and theywere careful not to run the boat against any of the ferocious creatures.
The climate at this point was very bad. It was so hot during the daythat none of our friends dared trust themselves in the sun over tenminutes at a time; and at night a heavy, poisonous dew would fall, thefumes of which threatened to give all hands the fever.
But, thanks to Dr. Pestle's ample supply of medicine, all kept inexcellent health.
Two weeks had elapsed since they had started up the river
, and they hadnow reached a point where it was impossible to proceed any further withthe boat.