of three or four heads. His ruthless
pursuers were right over his hiding-place. Would they discover it or
pass it by?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

HOW DAWES FARED.

Having parted with his young companion, John Dawes rode on, outwardly
cool and unconcerned, though in effect his mind misgave him. For he
knew that in all human probability he had but a few minutes more to
live. The critical moment would be that of the discovery of Gerard's
defection, and if he and his party escaped massacre in the outburst of
fury which was sure to follow, why their escape would smack of the
nature of a miracle about as much as anything he had ever known in his
life.

Fortune favoured him, favoured them both, so far. In their impatience
to get back to the scene of the revels, the messengers had increased the
distance between themselves and the horsemen, and when Gerard had made
his dash for it, the shouting and stamping of the wild war-dance had so
far deadened all other sounds that the receding of his horse's hoofs
passed unnoticed by the escort, to whose ears, in fact, during the
general tumult, the tread of one horse made as much noise as that of
two.

Not until he entered the kraal did they make the discovery that he was
alone, and even then, to a quick suspicious query as to what had become
of his companion, Dawes's reply that he supposed the latter had gone
back to the waggons for something he had forgotten, suggested no
distrust. These white men had been their prisoners for weeks, they
thought, and the guard on the ridge was as strong to-night as ever.

Familiar as he was with such sights, the appearance of the Igazipuza
kraal as he rode into it that night, struck John Dawes as about the most
wild and terrific aspect of savagery unchecked as he had ever beheld.
The great open space of its inner circle was crowded with figures.
Equidistant from each other, far enough from the palisade to be safe
from accident, and yet sufficiently at the side to be out of the way of
the dancers, four huge fires were burning. Facing each other in two
great crescents, fully armed with shield and assegai, knobkerrie and
battle-axe, their leaders standing out a little in advance of the lines,
the warriors stood, and the red gushing flames of the great fires,
lighting up the wild fantastically arranged figures with a truly
demoniacal glare, imparted to these raving, howling human wolves an
aspect of indescribable ferocity. Starting, softly at