ashed against it, and fell senseless. Before I could reach him,
Lona had him in her arms, and as soon as he came to himself, set him on
the back of his bear, which had still followed him.

When the leopardess threw herself the third time against the door, it
gave way, and she darted in. We followed, but she had already vanished.
We sprang up a stair, and went all over the house, to find no one.
Darting down again, we spied a door under the stair, and got into a
labyrinth of excavations. We had not gone far, however, when we met the
leopardess with the child we sought across her back.

He told us that the woman he took for his mother threw him into a hole,
saying she would give him to the leopardess. But the leopardess was a
good one, and took him out.

Following in search of the other boy, we got into the next house more
easily, but to find, alas, that we were too late: one of the savages
had just killed the little captive! It consoled Lona, however, to learn
which he was, for she had been expecting him to grow a bad giant, from
which worst of fates death had saved him. The leopardess sprang upon
his murderer, took him by the throat, dragged him into the street, and
followed Lona with him, like a cat with a great rat in her jaws.

"Let us leave the horrible place," said Lona; "there are no mothers
here! This people is not worth delivering."

The leopardess dropped her burden, and charged into the crowd, this
way and that, wherever it was thickest. The slaves cried out and ran,
tumbling over each other in heaps.

When we got back to the army, we found it as we had left it, standing in
order and ready.

But I was far from easy: the princess gave no sign, and what she might
be plotting we did not know! Watch and ward must be kept the night
through!

The Little Ones were such hardy creatures that they could repose
anywhere: we told them to lie down with their animals where they were,
and sleep till they were called. In one moment they were down, and
in another lapt in the music of their sleep, a sound as of water over
grass, or a soft wind among leaves. Their animals slept more lightly,
ever on the edge of waking. The bigger boys and girls walked softly
hither and thither among the dreaming multitude. All was still; the
whole wicked place appeared at rest.

CHAPTER XXXVI. MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

Lona was so disgusted with the people, and especially with the women,
that she wished to abandon the place as soon