Stas came to the conclusion that this was a species of panther unknown to zoölogy, just as Lake Bassa-Narok was unknown to geography.
Kali gazed continually with great terror at the beast stretched upon the ground, repeating in a low voice, as if he feared to awaken it:
"Wobo! The great master killed a wobo!"
But Stas turned to the little maid, placed his hand on her head, as though he desired definitely to assure himself that the wobo had not carried her away, and then said:
"You see, Nell. You see that even if you are full-grown, you cannot walk alone through the jungle."
"True, Stas," answered Nell with a penitent mien, "but I can go with you or the King."
"Tell me how it was? Did you hear him draw near?"
"No— Only a golden fly flew out of those flowers. So I turned around after it and saw how he crept out of the ravine."
"And what then?"
"He stood still and began to look at me."
"Did he look long?"
"Long, Stas. Only when I dropped the flowers and guarded myself from him with my hands did he creep towards me."
It occurred to Stas that if Nell were a negress she would have been pounced upon at once, and that in part she owed her preservation to the astonishment of the beast, which seeing before it for the first time a being unknown to it, for a while was uncertain what to do.
A chill passed through the boy's bones.
"Thank God! Thank God that I returned!"
After which he asked further:
"What were you thinking of at that moment?"
"I wanted to call you, and—I could not—but—"
