me, Mrs
Marchant, I'll help you; and these young gentlemen will assist the
children."

We discovered the family group seated on a bank; and each of us taking
charge of one of the children, we followed Mr Talboys back towards
Belmont as fast as our legs could move. He strode along at a great
rate, for the sounds, which before had been indistinct, now grew louder
and louder, and we knew that the enemy could not be far off. That they
were marching towards Belmont there could be no doubt. Mrs Marchant
gave a shriek of alarm every now and then, and the children cried with
terror. We tried to soothe them, but it was no easy matter to do so as
we ran along.

"Try and keep the children quiet," said Mr Talboys in a suppressed
tone, "or the blacks will hear us. Push on, young gentlemen; I'll bring
up the rear and defend you."

"I'll stay with you," I said; for it struck me that Chaffey might easily
carry the child I had charge of, and so I handed it to him.

"And I'll stay also," said Tom, giving his charge to Sinnet, who, with
one of the black girls, was dragging another along. Mr Marchant had
enough to do to support his wife and carry another of their progeny.
The house was already in sight, but we could hear the tramp of the
insurgents' feet coming nearer and nearer, though we could not tell
whether we ourselves were yet seen. Mr Marchant and his family hurried
on, probably sorry that they had not made more speed at first. We had
our pistols ready, a brace each, in our belts, and our swords by our
sides, should we come to a close encounter; but the blacks had, we
concluded, firearms, and might shoot us down, should they see us, at a
distance. I could not but admire the cool gallantry of Mr Talboys,
with so much at stake, yet willing to risk his own life in the defence
of those he had promised to protect. He stood for nearly a minute to
enable his friend's family to get ahead. The ground rose gradually
towards the house, and we could now distinguish a dark mass coming
across the open space in the plain below.

"Now we'll move on," said Mr Talboys; and we proceeded deliberately
towards the house.

"They must have got in now," he added shortly afterwards, speaking as
before in a suppressed tone.

It was time indeed for us to be hurrying on, for as we looked round, a
party of blacks, forming the advance guard, and whom we had not
previously seen, suddenly appeared, not fifty paces off. They saw us at
the same