you say, he is sure to keep his eyes opened, and unless they
surprise him I should back him against the four of them."

In a quarter of an hour they heard a shout from the edge of the
clearing. "There are the Allens!" Wilfrid exclaimed as he leapt to the
door. "I forgot about them, although of course they are nearer than Mr.
Atherton. All right!" he shouted; "you can come on." The two Allens ran
across the open space between the wood and the house.

"What is it, Wilfrid?" they exclaimed as they came up. "You fired the
alarm-signal, did you not?" Both were breathless with the speed at which
they had run. They had been engaged in felling when they heard the
shot, and had thrown down their axes, run into the hut for their guns,
and made for The Glade at the top of their speed. In a few words Wilfrid
explained what had happened, and that there was every reason to believe
that four hostile neighbours were lurking in the bush on the opposite
side of the glade. The Allens at once volunteered to go up to the head
of the clearing to warn the Grimstones. Returning to the point where
they had left the forest, they made their way among the trees until they
reached the upper end of the clearing; then they sat down and listened.
In a few minutes they heard the sound of breaking twigs. "Here come the
men," the elder Allen said; "the Maoris would come along noiselessly."
Two or three minutes later the Grimstones came up at a run, accompanied
by their two dogs.

"This way," James Allen said.

"What is it, sir?" Bob Grimstone gasped. "We were a long way in the
woods when we thought we heard three shots. We were not quite sure about
it, but we started back as fast as we could come. There is nothing
wrong, I hope?"

"Fortunately nothing has happened," James Allen replied; "but four
strange Maoris came up to the house, and would certainly have murdered
Mr. Wilfrid and his sister if they had not been prepared for them.
Whether they are in the bush now or not I do not know; but we have come
up to warn you not to go up the clearing, as, if they are there, they
might pick you off as you did so. We must come down under shelter of the
trees till we are opposite the house."

In ten minutes they reached the house. Just as they did so Mr. Atherton
appeared at the edge of the wood which they had just left.

"Thank God you are all safe!" he said as he strolled up to the house.
"Your three shots gave me a fright; but as I heard no more I was
re