“I couldn’t help it, Mas’ Don,” he said. “I don’t think I ever laughed so much before. There, I’m better now. Shan’t have any more laugh in me for a twelvemonth. Hiss! Whoss–s–s!”
He made the two sounds again, and burst into another uncontrollable fit of laughter at the success of his ruse; but this time Don caught him by the throat, and he stopped at once.
“Hah!” he ejaculated, and wiped his eyes again. “Thankye, Mas’ Don; that’s just what you ought to ha’ done before. There, it’s all over now. What are you going to do?”
“Watch them,” said Don, laconically; and he crept to the mouth of the cave, and peered cautiously over the edge of the shelf, but all was quiet; and beyond a distant hail or two, heard after listening for some minutes, there was nothing to indicate that the search party had been there.
“We must be well on the look-out, Jem. Your stupid trick may bring them back.”
“Stoopid? Well, I do like that, Mas’ Don, after saving us both as I did.”
“I’d say let’s go on at once, only we might meet some of them.”
“And old ‘My pakeha’ wouldn’t know where to find us. I say, Mas’ Don, what are we going to do? Stop here with these people, and old Tomati, or go on at once and shift for ourselves?”
“We cannot shift for ourselves in a country like this without some way of getting food.”
“Hush!” exclaimed Jem sharply.