and waiting for the day. After the lapse of a few more hours
the air began to cool and the rain finally ceased. The water too flowed
down the slope to a lower place as they could not hear a splash or a
murmur. Stas had observed on the previous days that Kali understood how
to stir up a fire with wet twigs, so it occurred to him to order the
negro to descend and try whether he would not succeed this time. But at
the moment in which he turned to him something happened which froze the
blood in the veins of all four.

The deep silence of the night was rent suddenly by the squeaking of
horses, horrible, shrill, full of pain, fears, and mortal dismay. Some
mischief was afoot in the darkness; there resounded short rattlings in
the throat, afterwards hollow groans, a snorting, a second squeak yet
more penetrating, after which all was quiet.

"Lions, great Master! Lions killing horses!" whispered Kali.

There was something so horrible in this night attack, in the superior
force of the monsters, and in the sudden slaughter of the defenseless
animals that Stas for a time was struck with consternation, and forgot
about the rifle. What, after all, would it have availed him to shoot in
such darkness? Unless for this, that those midnight assassins, if the
flash and report should frighten them, would abandon the horses already
killed, and start after those which were scared away and had run from
the camp as far as their fettered legs would permit them.

Stas' flesh began to creep at the thought of what would have happened
if they had remained below. Nell, nestling close to him, shook as if
she already were suffering the first attack of fever, but the tree at
least protected them from an attack of lions. Kali plainly had saved
their lives.

It was, however, a horrible night--the most horrible in the entire
journey.

They sat like drenched birds on a twig, listening to what was happening
below. And there for some time a deep silence continued, but soon came
a peculiar sound as though of lapping, smacking of torn-off pieces of
flesh, together with the horses' heavy breathing and the groans of the
monsters.

The odor of the raw meat and blood reached up to the tree, as the lions
feasted not farther than twenty paces from the zareba.

And they feasted so long that in the end anger seized Stas. He seized
the rifle and fired in the direction of the sounds.

But he was answered only by a broken, irritated roar, after which
resounded