fierce glitter of my enemy's eyes. With a thud
I brought my rifle down, and the blow evidently told, for my throat was
released, while the one who had attacked me fell heavily to the ground.

[Illustration: "I FELT THE GRIP OF A HAND UPON MY THROAT."]

Of all the adventures which we had met with, that one, during those few
minutes of desperate fighting for our lives in the blackness about us,
seemed the most weird and exciting. Once I heard the ring of the Arab's
sword as it struck against the side of the rocky excavation, and a call
to Mahomet for help came from his lips, while through it all Denviers
was cheering us madly on in the blind conflict with our foes. I felt my
rifle wrenched at last from my hands, and drawing a pistol from my belt
thrust it between the glaring eyes of a savage and fired, sending him
down at my feet. In a second that weapon too was snatched from me, and
feeling hastily for the other I found it gone! Still another savage
faced me, and I struck blindly at him with my fist, dealing a stunning
blow which sent him spinning and laid my knuckles bare. With all my
might I struggled to keep off the rope or thong which I felt was being
bound about me, but the odds were too great, and with my arms lashed
tightly to my sides I was dragged forward, wondering what fate was in
store and why the savages did not kill us outright with their knives.
Evidently that was not their purpose, for as soon as I was helplessly
bound no more blows were rained upon me, nor did my captors attempt to
inflict further injuries.

How long I was hauled through the gloomy passage in the mountain would
be difficult to conjecture, but eventually a stifling heat seemed to
penetrate to where I was being hurried along, and a dull red glow
appeared ahead which lit up the scene, showing what had happened and
where we were. Denviers and Hassan were both bound, the latter having
one of his arms left loose, from which circumstance I concluded that it
was broken, and this was subsequently found to be true.

The glowing mass ahead increased in its intensity, and cast strange
shadows of the savages upon the jagged walls of rock which inclosed us
on each side and rose to a height of more than twenty feet at the point
we had then reached. We drew near to each other as we emerged into the
lighter part of the mountain passage, and the savages ceased to drag us
along, since they could watch our movements.

"We ought to be glad these niggers