ext pass. When the last waggon has entered I will send back word, and
they must then follow us and hold the entrance. Tom, you had better
take four more of the armed natives to strengthen the rear-guard. Tell
Dick to come on and join me. You had your fair share of labour
yesterday, and your hands are cut about so, by lifting and heaving
rocks, that you would be able to do little to-day. It is rather a good
sign that the natives are pressing forward in such force on our rear, as
it shows that they have no great faith in any attempt they may make
to-day to repeat their rock-throwing experiment of yesterday."

As before two natives were sent on ahead to examine the defile, and Mr
Harvey moved on with the caravan until he reached the upper edge of the
valley, which was scarcely half a mile long. Just as he did so the
natives came hurriedly down the defile; they reported that a short
distance up they had met with another obstacle, to the full as difficult
as that which they had got the waggons over on the preceding day, and
that, as they turned an angle in the defile, and came in sight of it,
they were saluted by a shower of arrows, and saw a crowd of natives on
the top of the barrier. They had thrown themselves down behind the
boulders, and had obtained a good view of the natives and the obstacle.
It was some forty feet farther up, and was formed by three or four great
boulders jambed in together. On the other side small boulders and
stones seemed to have been piled up by the torrent to the level of the
rocks; but on the lower side it was almost perpendicular, and they
questioned if a man could climb it,--certainly there was no passage for
oxen.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

A MOUNTAIN-TORRENT.

The news brought by the scouts was very serious. The continued fire in
the rear showed that the enemy were making a serious attack in that
quarter. But Mr Harvey feared that his fighting force there must be
weakened greatly, to enable him to attack so formidable a position as
that which the enemy occupied in front. Before arriving at any decision
as to his best course, he halted the caravan, and went forward himself,
with the two natives, to inspect the position which they had discovered.

When he reached the turn in the defile he crawled forward among the
boulders until he reached a spot where he could obtain a clear view of
the barrier; it was to the full as formidable as it had been described
by the scouts. It would hav