"We simply daren't follow it any longer," said Royce, mopping his wet brow. "It will take us much too far out of our way. In fact, I daresay you have lost your way already."
John did not repeat his little joke. His downcast expression indicated plainly enough that he was now at fault. He glanced up at the sun through the over-arching trees, and at last hesitatingly suggested a direction in which they might proceed.
"Unless you have been quite wrong all along, we can't be very far from the fort now," said Royce. "But as we couldn't see it for the trees we might go right past it without knowing. Perhaps the country opens out, however, so let us try it."
Leaving the track they plunged through the forest, dodging the thorns and forcing their way through the entanglements of undergrowth and creepers. It was very hot work, and Royce felt as tired as if he had marched twenty miles on end.
After a quarter of an hours' toilsome progress they came suddenly to the edge of the forest; and there, almost straight ahead, less than a mile away, they saw the fort, a brown, sunlit patch on the hillock.
"Savvy all same, sah," cried John in delight.
"Yes, you are either very clever or very lucky," said Royce. "I hope our troubles are now over for a time. We must wait here, just within the forest line, until the others come up."
He leant against a tree, looking out over the space of rolling country between him and his goal. It was open save for scrub; there was no sign of man or beast.
But he had waited only a few minutes when two negro horsemen came out from behind a distant clump of trees, crossed the open space, and disappeared to the westward.
Royce's anxiety returned with doubled force. It was almost certain that these Tubus had been lurking on the watch in the neighbourhood of the fort. They might indeed have been sent ahead by Goruba to ascertain whether the fort was yet occupied. In all probability a larger party of their people was not far away.