y even had he wished to do so. Still--the mockery of it! It had
come too late.

Meanwhile, Payne and Hoste, being the best mounted, had obtained some
little start, but even upon them the extended lines of the fierce
pursuers were beginning to close.

"Now, George--both together! Let 'em have it!" yelled Hoste, pointing
his revolver at the foremost of a mass of Kafirs who were charging in
upon them on his side. The ball sped. The savage, a tall, sinewy
warrior, naked as at his birth save for a collar of jackals' teeth and a
leather belt round his waist, leaped high in the air and fell stone
dead, shot through the heart. At the same time Payne's pistol spoke,
and another barbarian fell, his knee shattered by the bullet. Crack!
and down went another while in the act of poising his assegai for a
fling.

"Up-hill work, but nearly through!" cried Payne as he dropped another of
the pursuers in his tracks. The frightened steeds, with ears thrown
back and nostrils distended, tugged frantically at their bits as they
tore along, but the agile barbarians seemed to keep pace with them,
though they refrained from again attempting to close. But now they
began to throw their assegais. One of these grazed Payne's shoulder and
stuck fast in the ground in front, quivering nervously. Another scored
the flank of Hoste's horse, causing the poor animal to snort and bound
with the sharp pain. Another stuck into Payne's boot, while a fourth
hit Hoste fair between the shoulders, but having been hurled at long
range and being withal a somewhat blunt weapon, it failed to penetrate
the stout cord jacket.

"Devilish good shot, that," remarked the target. "But I say, George,
where are the other fellows?"

"Dunno! It's a case of every man for himself now, and all his work cut
out at that."

All this had been the work of but a few minutes, and now the brow of the
hill was reached. A furious and bitter curse burst from the pair.

For on the plain beneath, converging upon their line of flight in such
wise as to meet and utterly cut them off, extended two strong bodies of
the enemy. These had circled round the hill, while the fugitives had
been forced to the top of it, and now they would join hands before the
latter could hope to pass through the rapidly closing circle.

"Through them, George. It's our only show!" cried Hoste. And with the
reins gripped in his left hand and his revolver in his right, he sat
down to his saddle f