s on her knees kissing Juanna's hands.

"Come, stop that!" said Leonard, sinking to the ground, for he was
utterly exhausted. "Those devils have gone for their arms. They will try
to storm us presently. Is the shot home, Peter? Then run her out, sharp;
and you, Soa, screw her nose down." Next he bade the freed slaves arm
themselves with stakes or anything that they could find, for of rifles
they had but four, two of which they had found in the guard-house.

Presently the slavers came on with a yell, carrying long planks, by the
help of which they hoped to cross the dike.

"Look out!" said Leonard, "they are going to open fire. Under the
earthwork, every man of you!" And seizing Juanna who was standing near,
he pulled her down into cover.

It was not too soon, for next instant a storm of bullets swept over
them. Most of the men had understood and taken shelter, but some were
too slow or too stupid. Of these one fell dead and two more were hit.
Soa and Peter alone took no heed, and yet they remained unhurt. There
stood the woman, while the bullets whistled round her, laying the gun as
coolly as though she had served in the Royal Artillery, and with her was
the head-man, Peter. Peter was shot through the waist-cloth and a ball
cut its way through Soa's grizzled hair, but neither of them seemed to
notice these trifles.

"They are mad, Baas," cried Otter, who was watching the enemy over the
top of the embankment. "See! they are coming across the open."

Leonard looked. The dwarf was right: in their rage and hurry the
slavers, half hidden in a cloud of smoke caused by their rapid firing,
were advancing across the clear space instead of creeping along the edge
of the dike. What was more, the necessity of carrying the planks caused
them to pack in groups. Soa gave a final twist with her lever and
waited, her hand on the lanyard. A bullet cut it in two, but without
firing the gun, and she grasped the shortened cord.

"Now for it!" cried Leonard, as the first party came into the line of
fire.

Soa sprang backwards with a yell: again the piece thundered out, and the
canister screamed through the air. It tore along the advancing files,
then, striking the beaten earth, rebounded and caught those who were
following with the ricochet, and with awful effect. Whole groups were
mowed down by this one discharge, the destruction being twice as large
as that caused by the first shot, for at this greater range the canister
found roo