e needed an active man to scale the rocks
without any opposition from above, while on the top a dense body of
natives were clustered, numbering at least fifty, and probably a
considerable portion of their force was concealed from view.

Mr Harvey sent back one of the natives to tell Dick to come on and join
him; after which he was to go back and bid Jumbo come up, as Mr Harvey
had great confidence in the hunter's shrewdness.

Dick presently arrived, and was much impressed with the formidable
nature of the obstacle.

"We might creep forward," he said, "among the stones and soon drive
those fellows off the edge, but they would only lie down behind, and
could easily destroy us, as we climbed one by one to the top. Each one,
as he got up, would be riddled with assegais. What are you thinking of
doing, sir?"

"I don't know what is best, Dick. I quite agree with you, it is a
tremendous position to storm, but on the other hand it would be almost
as bad to retreat."

Ten minutes later Jumbo arrived at a run; without a word he threw
himself down by the side of Mr Harvey, and for two or three minutes
gazed silently at the obstacle ahead; then, to Mr Harvey's surprise, he
turned over on to his back, and lay there with his eyes open.

"What on earth are you doing, Jumbo?"

"Look there, sir," the native said, pointing to a glistening spot, the
size of a crown-piece, on his stomach.

"Well, what of that?" Mr Harvey said; "that's a drop of rain--there's
another fallen on my hat. What do you think of that place ahead?"

"Me no think nothing about him, sir; that place, sir, no consequence one
way or the other. You hear him, sir?"

As he spoke a louder crash of thunder burst overhead. Mr Harvey looked
up now. That portion of the sky which could be seen was inky black.
Great drops of rain were falling with a pattering sound on the rock.

"Storm come, sir; very bad storm. I see him coming, and say to Massa
Tom, `Two or tree hour fight over; now you see someting like a
mountain-storm. In tree hours water come down twenty feet deep.'"

"You are right, Jumbo. It is lucky the storm has begun so early; if we
had got far into the defile we should have been caught. Now, all we
have got to do is to wait. Go back, Dick, and send up every man with
fire-arms; we must at once engage those fellows in front and occupy
their attention. If they once perceive their danger they will make a
desperate rush down here, and it will go