ance toward him, evidently guessed
what his prisoner contemplated, and promptly levelled his revolver. As
the muzzle came up it spouted flame, and Frobisher heard the bullet sing
past his ear, to flatten itself against the massive stone wall. Again
the vicious little weapon was fired; but at the precise instant that the
Chinaman's finger pressed the trigger, Frobisher leaned over and grasped
the hilt of the sword; and again the bullet missed. A third time the
revolver spoke in as many seconds, and Frobisher's arm tingled to the
elbow as the bullet struck the blade and glanced off the steel, luckily
away from instead of toward his body; and at the same instant the two
assistants, recovering from their momentary paralysis, hurled themselves
upon him.

Standing where he now was, close to the pile which he had reared against
the wall to serve as a platform, the prisoner raised his weapon and
quickly swung it over his shoulder, intending to make a sweeping cut at
his assailants as they came on; but the blade came into violent contact
with the erection behind him and baulked his blow. Nevertheless he was
able to bring the weapon into a position which afforded him the
opportunity to receive the most eager of his adversaries upon its point.
With a smothered groan the man dropped writhing to the ground, while
Frobisher, hitting out with his left fist, caught the second man fair on
the point of the jaw. The man went reeling backwards against the
Governor at the precise moment when that individual again pulled
trigger. The result was another miss, which so utterly exasperated the
Chinaman that he hurled the revolver at Frobisher's head and
incontinently turned and fled, locking the cell door behind him.

With two of his foes _hors de combat_ and the other fled, the Englishman
felt himself to be master of the situation.

Keeping his eyes warily upon his prostrate foe lest he should be
shamming and should strive to take him unawares, the young Englishman
now seized the lighted lantern and proceeded to hunt for the Governor's
revolver, which he presently found and thrust into his belt, after
satisfying himself that it still contained two live cartridges. Next he
picked up the coil of rope and bound the prostrate man.

Hardly had he accomplished this business when he thought he detected the
sounds of voices--that of the Governor and some other--and footsteps
approaching outside his prison door. The next instant he was sure