ies of her age, and she deemed it
her province to act as sentry whilst the two men conferred. Hence, she
was the first to detect, or rather to become conscious of, the stealthy
crawl of several Dyaks along the bottom of the cliff from Turtle Beach.
They advanced in Indian file, moving with the utmost care, and
crouching in the murky shadows like so many wild beasts stalking their
prey.

"Robert!" she screamed. "The Dyaks! On your left!"

But Iris was rapidly gaining some knowledge of strategy. Before she
shrieked her warning she grasped a rifle. Holding it at the
"Ready"--about the level of her waist--and depressing the muzzle
sufficiently, she began firing down the side of the rock as fast as she
could handle lever and trigger. Two of the nickel bullets struck a
projection and splashed the leading savages with molten metal.

Unfortunately the Lee-Metford beneath was unloaded, being in Mir Jan's
possession for purposes of instruction. Jenks whipped out his revolver.

"To the cave!" he roared, and Mir Jan's unwillingness to face a goblin
could not withstand the combined impetus of the sahib's order and the
onward rush of the enemy. He darted headlong for the entrance.

[Illustration: IRIS BEGAN FIRING DOWN THE SIDE OF THE ROCK AS FAST AS
SHE COULD HANDLE LEVER AND TRIGGER.]

Jenks, shooting blindly as he, too, ran for the ladder, emptied the
revolver just as his left hand clutched a rung. Three Dyaks were so
close that it would be folly to attempt to climb. He threw the weapon
into the face of the foremost man, effectually stopping his onward
progress, for the darkness made it impossible to dodge the missile.

The sailor turned to dive into the cave and secure the rifle from Mir
Jan, when his shin caught the heavy crowbar resting against the rock.
The pain of the blow lent emphasis to the swing with which the
implement descended upon some portion of a Dyak anatomy. Jenks never
knew where he hit the second assailant, but the place cracked like an
eggshell.

He had not time to recover the bar for another blow, so he gave the
point in the gullet of a gentleman who was about to make a vicious
sweep at him with a parang. The downfall of this worthy caused his
immediate successor to stumble, and Jenks saw his opportunity. With the
agility of a cat he jumped up the ladder. Once started, he had to go
on. He afterwards confessed to an unpleasant sensation of pins and
needles along his back during that brief acrobatic dis