ering plaintively in the air--

"Ngonyama! Ngonyama!"

He brushed his hand across his forehead, and found his face burning
hot. He removed his blanket from his shoulders and sat up, still
patting the jackal. The fire was before him, and the dark ring of
the cave's mouth; but his eyes dilated as he looked, for within the
glare of the fire was that same awful face he had seen down in the
darkness.

He would have cried out, but his voice would not come; and with an
effort--for all the blood seemed to have left his limbs--he slowly
moved his hand to Mr. Hume's.

The Hunter made no sign; but Venning, with his face turned still in
a frozen stare towards the entrance, caught a change in the
breathing, and knew that his touch had answered its purpose. To the
boy they were acting over the scene in the cavern again. He was
waiting for the shrill laugh, the sudden treacherous thrust of steel
in the dark, and then the ring of metal on the rocks.

Then, without any sign having been given that he was awake, the
jackal in a bound was over the fire, swollen to double his size by
the bristling hair, and uttering as he charged a fierce yelp.

Muata seemed to awake and spring forward all in one movement. A
moment he paused in the glare of the light, stooping forward, the
glare showing red on his blade, and the next he was gone with a war-
whoop, and in his place stood the Hunter, crouching also with the
broad blade in his hand. Between the fierce yelp of the jackal and
the spring of the Hunter only a few seconds had passed. The three of
them less than half a minute since had been asleep; and now, out of
the darkness on the ledge beyond came the ring of metal and the
savage grunts of men fighting for their lives.

Venning remained where he was, too ill to rise; and Compton, not yet
trained to act on a sudden emergency, sat up, bewildered by the
noise.

"Mr. Hume--Godfrey--what is it?"

"The witches," said Venning, "out of the underground. I saw one
looking in."

"Eh?"

Compton felt for his carbine, and, gathering his wits, ran out,
receiving promptly, on getting within the ring of light, a blow on
his arm, followed by a clutch at his throat. Driving the muzzle of
his gun forward into something soft which emitted a grunt, he freed
himself from his assailant, and sprang aside. He heard the whizz of
weapons, the clash of blows, and saw dark forms indistinctly moving
rapidly this way and that; then his rifle flashed as he saw a