drowned all other noises.

Quincal still grasped his weapon with both hands, and with amazing
power, extricated it, as his victim fell, and turned upon the others.

But, by this time, he was surrounded and his fate was sealed.

Anxious to save the brave fellow, the professor and Long emptied their
revolvers among his enemies, but were unable to scatter them until the
fellow sank to the ground, pierced deep and fatally in a dozen places
by the poisoned javelins.

Instinctively, the two white men filled their magazines from their
belts, as quickly as they could, and by the time Quincal was no more,
they opened again on the savages.

The latter had already lost fearfully, and this renewed assault was
more than they could stand. If, instead of trying to make the white
men prisoners, they had contented themselves with hurling their spears,
when they first sprang from the ground, nothing could have saved
Grimcke and Long.

Now, when they launched the missiles, it was too late. The white men
were each protected by the trunk of a large tree, and standing back in
the shadow, their faces could not be seen. The only way of locating
them was by the flash of their guns.

They sent a shower of the javelins into the wood, and then were seized
with that strange, aimless panic which sometimes comes over the bravest
men in the crisis of a conflict. The survivors made a wild break for
the river, into which they sprang as far as they could leap, diving
deep, swimming as far as possible beneath the surface, then coming up
an instant for breath and diving again.

The blood of the Professor and the American was at fever heat. They
felt it wrong to show mercy, after what had taken place, and were in no
mood for any further weakness of that nature.

Both ran down to the edge of the stream, and, standing almost in the
water, took deliberate aim at every black head as it rose to the
surface. They kept popping up here and there, at varying distances,
only to drop out of sight again, the instant the swimmer caught breath;
but in many instances, when they went down the second or third time,
they did not come up again.

Professor Grimcke and Jared Long were throwing away no ammunition.

Finally, the dark forms began rising from the river on the other shore,
where they darted into the wood, fearful of the dreadful messengers
which followed them even there.

The repulse was decisive and there was little fear of the attack on the
ca