you."

The Arab swung himself off the edge, and in a very short time Malchus
felt the rope slacken. He followed at once. The first twenty feet the
descent was absolutely perpendicular, but after that the rock inclined
outward in a steep but pretty regular slope. Malchus was no longer
hanging by the rope; but throwing the principal portion of his weight
still upon it, and placing his feet on the inequalities of the rock, he
made his way down without difficulty. Presently he stood by Nessus at
the foot of the slope.

"We had better make up the ravine. There will be numbers of them at its
mouth. We can see the glow of their fires from here."

"But we may not be able to find a way up," Nessus said; "the sides seem
to get steeper and steeper, and we may find ourselves caught in a trap
at the end of this gorge. At any rate we will try that way first. I
wish the moon was up; it is as black as a wolf's mouth here, and the
bottom of the gorge is all covered with boulders. If we stumble, and
our arms strike a stone, it will be heard by the natives on the opposite
heights."

They now set forward, feeling their way with the greatest care; but in
the dense darkness the task of making their way among the boulders was
difficult in the extreme. They had proceeded but a short distance when
a loud yell rose from the height above them. It was repeated again and
again, and was answered by shouts from the opposite side and from the
mouth of the ravine.

"By Astarte!" Malchus exclaimed, "they have found out that we have
escaped already."

It was so. One of the natives had crept forward along the path, hoping
to find the sentry asleep, or to steal up noiselessly and stab him. When
he got to the angle of the rock he could see no form before him,
nor hear the slightest sound. Creeping forward he found the platform
deserted. He listened attentively at the entrance to the cave, and
the keen ear of the savage would have detected had any been slumbering
there; but all was still.

He rose to his feet with the intention of creeping into the cave, when
his head struck against something. He put up his hand and felt the rope,
and saw how the fugitives had escaped. He at once gave the alarm to his
comrades. In a minute or two a score of men with blazing brands came
running along the path. On seeing the rope, they entered the cave, and
found that their prey had really escaped.

Malchus and his companion had not moved after the alarm was given.