the beast
became tame. Or perhaps it was drugged.

Two nights later, for the Black Kendah advanced but slowly, spreading
themselves over the country in order to collect such crops as had not
been gathered through lack of time or because they were still unripe,
we saw flames and smoke arising from the Town of the Child beneath us,
which they had fired. Now we knew that the time of trial had come and
until near midnight men, women and children worked feverishly finishing
or trying to finish the fortifications and making every preparation in
our power.

Our position was that we held a very strong post, that is, strong
against an enemy unprovided with big guns or even firearms, which, as
all other possible approaches had been blocked, was only assailable by
direct frontal attack from the east. In the pass we had three main lines
of defence, one arranged behind the other and separated by distances of
a few hundred yards. Our last refuge was furnished by the walls of the
temple itself, in the rear of which were camped the whole White Kendah
tribe, save a few hundred who were employed in watching the herds of
camels and stock in almost inaccessible positions on the northern slopes
of the Mount.

There were perhaps five thousand people of both sexes and every age
gathered in this camp, which was so well provided with food and water
that it could have stood a siege of several months. If, however, our
defences should be carried there was no possibility of escape, since
we learned from our scouts that the Black Kendah, who by tradition and
through spies were well acquainted with every feature of the country,
had detached a party of several thousand men to watch the western road
and the slopes of the mountain, in case we should try to break out by
that route. The only one remaining, that which ran through the cave
of the serpent, we had taken the precaution of blocking up with great
stones, lest through it our flank should be turned.

In short, we were rats in a trap and where we were there we must either
conquer or die--unless indeed we chose to surrender, which for most of
us would mean a fate worse than death.

CHAPTER XIX

ALLAN QUATERMAIN MISSES

I had made my last round of the little corps that I facetiously named
"The Sharpshooters," though to tell the truth at shooting they were
anything but sharp, and seen that each man was in his place behind a
wall with a reserve man squatted at the rear of every pair of the