ssion of the person of Nam, though it remained to be seen how
far this would help them.

To begin with, there are always some ready to step into the shoes of a
high priest, also Nam had blundered so extensively in the matter of
the false gods, that the greater part of the fraternity, whom he had
involved in his mistakes, would not sorrow to see the last of him.

These facts, which were perfectly well known to Olfan and guessed at by
his companions, sharpened their sense of the danger in which they had
been placed by Soa's resource and cunning. Indeed, their escape was
a matter of life and death to them and to many hundreds of their
adherents. If once they could reach the temple and proclaim the
re-arisen gods to the people, all would go well, for the army would
suffice to keep the priests from using violence. But if they failed in
this, their death-warrant was already signed, for none of them would
ever be heard of again.

No wonder, then, that they hurled themselves despairingly upon the
stubborn doors. For an hour or more they laboured, but all in vain. The
massive timbers of hard wood, six inches or more in thickness, could
scarcely be touched by their knives and spears, nor might their united
strength serve even to stir the stone bolts and bars that held them
fast, and they had nothing that could be used as a battering-ram.

"It is useless," said Leonard at last, throwing down his knife in
despair; "this wood is like iron, it would take us a week to cut through
it."

"Why not try fire, Baas?" suggested Otter.

Accordingly they attempted to burn down the doors, with the result
that they nearly stifled themselves in the smoke and made but little
impression upon the woodwork.

At length they gave up the experiment--it was a failure--and sat looking
blankly at each other as they listened to certain sounds which reached
them from the passages without, telling them that their enemies were
gathering there.

"Has anyone a suggestion to make?" said Leonard at last. "If not, I
think that this game is about played."

"Baas," answered Otter, "I have a word to say. We can all go down
through that hole by which I came up to you. The Water-Dweller is dead,
I slew him with my own hand, so there is nothing to fear from him.
Beneath the hole runs a tunnel, and that tunnel leads to the slope of
the mountain above. At the top of this slope is an ice-bridge by which
men may reach a fair country if they have a mind to."

"Th