he city,
when their attention was attracted by a shouting not far-off.

Presently they observed a number of men and boys running in and out
amongst the houses and the low walls which surrounded them, as if in
chase of something. Soon a man was seen to dart along the road they
were following. As he drew near they observed that he stumbled as he
ran, yet forced the pace and panted violently--like one running for his
life. A few moments more and the crowd was close at his heels, pelting
him with stones and yelling like wild beasts. The fugitive turned up a
narrow lane between high walls, close to where our party stood. He was
closely followed by the crowd.

At this point some of the pursuers stopped as if from exhaustion.

"What has he done?" said Laihova to one of these.

"He has been stealing in the market by cutting a lamba."

It is the practice to carry money tied up in a corner of the lamba, and
thieves, by cutting off this corner, sometimes manage to secure the
money.

A great cry arose just then, and some of the pursuers came running back.

"He is down," said one. "He is dead!" said another.

Now our friend Hockins was one of those men who have at all times an
irresistible tendency to take the part of the weak against the strong,
without much regard to the cause of battle! He instantly, without a
word, ran off at full speed to the rescue. Ebony ran after him from
sympathy. Mark Breezy followed from the natural desire to keep by his
comrades, and back them up, while Laihova followed--no doubt from
good-fellowship!

They soon came upon the poor man, who was completely naked, bruised and
bleeding, and surrounded by a crowd of youths, who were deliberately
stoning him as if he were a dangerous animal or a mad dog.

With a roar like a lion Hockins went at them. He tripped up some
half-dozen big boys, flattened still more the flat noses of some of the
men, stretching them flat on their backs, and then, standing astride the
fallen man, flourished his enormous fists, and invited the entire
population of Antananarivo to "come on!"

The population refused the invitation and retired.

Ebony was not slow to follow suit, with this variation, that instead of
roaring he yelled, and instead of bestriding the fallen man, he gave
sudden chase hither and thither, with powerful effect, rendering the
rout complete.

Meanwhile Mark attended to the injured man, who seemed to be dead.
Turning him over on his back