avage who stood by the monarch's spear, as
he pointed to a part of the grotto where we saw a huge heap of what
appeared to us to be the spoils of several wrecks. Our guide interpreted
my companion's reply.

"We will not be disarmed," answered Denviers. "These are our weapons of
defence; ye have your own spears, and they should be sufficient for your
needs."

"Ye will not?" demanded the savage, fiercely.

"No!" responded Denviers, and he moved his right hand to the belt in
which his pistols were.

[Illustration: "DENVIERS RUSHED FORWARD."]

"Seize them!" shrieked the impassioned savage; "they defy us. Drag them
to the mortar and crush them into dust!" The words had scarcely passed
his lips when Denviers rushed forward and snatched the mask from the
Tamil sitting there! The savages around, when they saw this, seemed for
a moment unable to move; then they threw themselves wildly to the ground
and grovelled before the face which was thus revealed. The motionless
arm of the form made no attempt to move from the side where it hung to
protect the mask from Denviers' touch, for the rigid features upon which
we looked at that moment were those of the dead!

"Quick, Harold!" exclaimed Denviers, as he saw the momentary panic which
his action had caused among the superstitious Tamils. "On to the entry!"
We bounded over the guards as they lay prostrate, and a moment
afterwards were rushing headlong towards the entrance of the grotto. Our
escape was by no means fully secured, however, for as we emerged we
found several Tamils prepared to bar our further advance.

Denviers dashed his fist full in the face of one of the yelling savages,
and in a moment got possession of the spear which he had poised, while
the whirl of Hassan's blade cleared our path. I heard the whirr of a
spear as it narrowly missed my head and pierced the ground before me.
Wrenching it out of the hard ground I followed Hassan and Denviers as
they darted up the zigzag path. On we went, the savages hotly pursuing
us, then those in the van stopped until the others from the cave joined
them, when they all made a mad rush together after us. Owing to the path
zigzagging as it did, we were happily protected in a great measure from
the shower of spears which fell around us.

We had nearly reached the top of the path when, turning round, I saw
that our pursuers were only a few yards away, for the savages seemed to
leap rather than to run over the ground, and certain