He had not an idea of
the direction which he should pursue. Besides the sun was sinking,
twilight is short in the tropics, and in half an hour it would be
as dark as midnight in the forest. Remembering his adventure with
the leopard he determined to climb into a tree and pass the night
there. He knew that an active search would be set on foot by his
friends next morning, and that, as every step he took was as likely
to lead him from as towards the camp, it was better to stay where
he was.
He soon found a tree with a branch which would suit his purpose, and,
climbing up into it, lit his pipe and prepared for an uncomfortable
night. Frank had never smoked until he reached Africa, but he had
then taken to it on the advice of Mr. Goodenough, who told him
that smoking was certainly a preventive, to some extent, of fever
in malarious countries, and, although he had not liked it at first,
he had now taken kindly to his pipe, and smoked from the time when
the evening mists began to rise until he went to bed.
The time passed very slowly. The cries of wild creatures could
be heard in the woods, and although Frank did not expect to be
attacked, it was impossible to sleep with these calls of leopards,
with which the forest seemed to abound, in his ears.
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