scheme, they never suspected
that its success was due to their giant friend, who kept himself so
well in the background that neither of them caught sight of him.

Having got his men away, Ziffak slipped back with the purpose of
carrying out the rest of the plan he had formed; but before he could
reach the rear entrance, he caught sight of Professor Grimcke running
like a deer toward the woods.

Ziffak was puzzled, not knowing that his friend had preceded him, and
he dashed into the building to hurry him out. As he came in at one
door, Waggaman and the Murhapas swarmed in at the other, and
pandemonium was let loose.

The certainty of another murderous fire from the rifles of the
defenders caused some lagging at the threshold, but those in the rear
forced those at the front forward, and the next moment the mob was
inside.

Still there was no sound of firearms, though, the savages were crowding
into both apartments. Some one kicked the ashes from the embers, and
the blaze which followed made known the astounding fact that both of
the white men had fled.

Ziffak seemed to be in a towering rage because such a blunder had been
made, and called upon the fleetest runners to follow him.

Out of the door he went as if shot from the throat of a columbiad, with
a procession of sinewy-limbed warriors at his heels. All ran as fast
as they could, though none were his equal in fleetness.

It need hardly be said that Ziffak took mighty good care that he did
not pursue the course of Professor Grimcke, and presumably that of his
companion who preceded him. Instead of aiming for the woods, he
diverged toward the river, and seemed to find it necessary to shout and
yell every second or two at the top of his voice.

His followers may have imagined he was laboring under uncontrollable
rage or deemed it necessary to keep their courage up to the highest
point by such means; but the two fugitives who had joined each other in
the woods, and were picking their way with the utmost care, held a
strong suspicion that the prodigious shouts were intended for their
special benefit. At any rate, they accepted them as such, and took
pains to continue their flight in a different course from that of the
howling Murhapas.

It did not require Ziffak long to find out that the fugitives were
irrecoverably gone, and he came back with his report to the king.

There he was met by astounding news. Burkhardt had been slain by a
poisoned javelin, a