The Rover Boys Series. Stratemeyer Edward

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СКАЧАТЬ must be cautioned." Randolph Rover raised his voice. "Cujo! Cujo! They have discovered us! Take care that they do not spear you."

      No reply came back to this call, which was several times repeated. Then came a crash, as a big stone was hurled down, to split into a score of pieces on the rock which sheltered them.

      "They mean to dislodge us," said Dick. "If they would only show themselves — "

      He stopped, for he had seen one of the Bumwos peering over a mass of short brush directly over the cave entrance. Taking hasty aim with his pistol be fired.

      A yell of pain followed, proving that the African had been hit. But the Bumwo was not seriously wounded, and soon he sent another stone at them, this time hitting Randolph Rover on the leg.

      "Oh!" gasped Dick's uncle, and drew up that member with a wry face.

      "Did he hurt you much, Uncle Randolph?"

      "He hurt me enough. You villain, take that!" And now the man fired, but the bullet flew wide of its mark, for Randolph Rover had practiced but little with firearms.

      They now thought it time to retreat, and, watching their chance, they ran from the rocks to the trees beyond. While they were exposed another spear was sent after them, cutting its way through Mr. Rover's hat brim and causing that gentleman to turn as pale as a sheet.

      "A few inches closer and it would have been my head!" he ejaculated. "This is growing too warm for comfort. Perhaps we had better rejoin the others, Dick."

      "Cujo! Cujo! Where are you?" cried the boy once more. But as before no answer came back.

      The shots had alarmed the others of the expedition, and all were hurrying along the rocky ledge when Randolph Rover and Dick met them.

      "We must turn back!" exclaimed Randolph Rover. "If you go ahead we may be caught in an ambush. The Bumwos have discovered our presence and mean to kill us if they can!"

      Suddenly a loud, deep voice broke upon them, coming from the rocks over the cave entrance.

      "White men must leave this mountain!" cried the voice. "This country belongs to the Bumwos. White man has no right here! Go! Go before it is too late!"

      "Who is that who speaks?" demanded Randolph Rover.

      "I am King Susko, chief of the Bumwos."

      "Will you come and have a talk with us?"

      "No want to talk. Want the white man to leave," answered the African chief, talking in fairly good English.

      "We do not wish to quarrel with you, King Susko; but you will find it best for you if you will grant us an interview," went on Randolph Rover.

      "The white man must go away from this mountain. I will not talk with him," replied the African angrily.

      "Do you know why we are here?"

      "To rob the Bumwos of their gold."

      "No; we are looking for a lost man, one who came to this country years ago and one who was your prisoner — "

      "The white man is no longer here — he went home long time ago."

      "We do not believe you!" cried Tom. "You have him a prisoner, and unless you deliver him up you shall suffer dearly for it."

      This threat evidently angered the African chief greatly, for suddenly a spear was launched at the boy, which pierced Tom's shoulder.

      As Tom went down, a shout went up from the rocks, and suddenly a dozen or more Bumwos appeared, shaking their spears and acting as if they meant to rush down on the party below without further warning.

      CHAPTER XXIX

       THE VILLAGE ON THE MOUNTAIN

       Table of Contents

      "Tom is wounded!" shouted Sam. He ran to his brother, to find the blood flowing freely over Tom's shoulder. "Is it bad?" he asked.

      "I — I guess not," answered Tom with a gasp of pain. Then, as full of pluck as usual, Tom raised his pistol and fired, hitting one of the Bumwos in the breast and sending him to the rear, seriously wounded.

      It was evident that Cujo had been mistaken and that there were far more of their enemies around the mountain than they had anticipated. From behind the Rover expedition a cry arose, telling that more of the natives were coming from that direction.

      "We are being hemmed in," said Dick Chester nervously. "Perhaps we had better retreat."

      "No, let us make a stand," came from Rand. "I think a concerted volley from our pistols and guns will check their movements."

      "Dat's de talk!" cried Aleck. "Give it to 'em hot!"

      It was decided to await the closer approach of the Bumwos, and each of the party improved the next minute in seeing to it that his weapon was ready for use.

      Suddenly a blood-curdling yell arose on the sultry air, and the Bumwos were seen to be approaching from two directions, at right angles to each other.

      "Now then, stand firm!" cried Dick Rover, and began to fire at one of the approaching forces.

      The fight that followed was, however, short and full of consternation to the Africans. One of the parties was led by King Susko himself, and the chief had covered less than half the distance to where the Americans stood when a bullet from Tom Rover's pistol reached him, wounding him in the thigh and causing him to pitch headlong on the grass.

      The fall of the leader made the Africans set up a howl of dismay, and instead of keeping up the fight they gathered around their leader. Then, as the Americans continued to fire, they picked King Susko up and ran off with him. A few spears were hurled at our friends, but the whole battle, to use Sam's way of summing up afterward, was a regular "two-for-a-cent affair." Soon the Bumwos were out of sight down the mountain side.

      The first work of our friends after they had made certain that the Africans had really retreated, was to attend to Tom's wound and the bruise Randolph Rover had received from the stone. Fortunately neither man nor boy was seriously hurt, although Tom carries the mark of the spear's thrust to this day.

      "But I don't care," said Tom. "I hit old King Susko, and that was worth a good deal, for it stopped the battle. If the fight had kept on there is no telling how many of us might have been killed."

      While the party was deliberating about what to do next, Cujo reappeared.

      "I go deep into de cabe when foah Bumwos come on me from behind," he explained.

      "Da fight an' fight an' knock me down an' tie me wid vines, an' den run away. But I broke loose from de vines an' cum just as quick as could run. Werry big cabe dat, an' strange waterfall in de back."

      "Let us explore the cave," said Dick. "Somebody can remain on guard outside."

      Some demurred to this, but the Rover boys could, not be held back, and on they went, with Aleck СКАЧАТЬ