hich I was rather in favour. After full
debate, however, the idea had been abandoned, owing to the fewness of
our numbers, the dislike which the White Kendah shared with the Black of
attempting to operate in the dark, and the well chosen position of our
enemy, whom it would be impossible to rush before we were discovered by
their outposts. What I hoped in my heart was that they might try to
rush us, notwithstanding the story of the two captured spies, and in
the gloom, after the moon had sunk low and before the dawn came, become
entangled in our pitfalls and outlying entrenchments, where we should be
able to destroy a great number of them. Only on the previous afternoon
that cunning old fellow, Hans, had pointed out to me how advantageous
such an event would be to our cause and, while agreeing with him, I
suggested that probably the Black Kendah knew this as well as we did, as
the prisoners had told us.

Yet that very thing happened, and through Hans himself. Thus: Old Harut
had come to me just one hour before the dawn to inform me that all
our people were awake and at their stations, and to make some last
arrangements as to the course of the defence, also about our final
concentration behind the last line of walls and in the first court of
the temple, if we should be driven from the outer entrenchments. He
was telling me that the Oracle of the Child had uttered words at the
ceremony that night which he and all the priests considered were of the
most favourable import, news to which I listened with some impatience,
feeling as I did that this business had passed out of the range of the
Child and its Oracle. As he spoke, suddenly through the silence that
precedes the dawn, there floated to our ears the unmistakable sound of
a rifle. Yes, a rifle shot, half a mile or so away, followed by the
roaring murmur of a great camp unexpectedly alarmed at night.

"Who can have fired that?" I asked. "The Black Kendah have no guns."

He replied that he did not know, unless some of my fifty men had left
their posts.

While we were investigating the matter, scouts rushed in with the
intelligence that the Black Kendah, thinking apparently that they were
being attacked, had broken camp and were advancing towards us. We passed
a warning all down the lines and stood to arms. Five minutes later, as I
stood listening to that approaching roar, filled with every kind of fear
and melancholy foreboding such as the hour and the occasion might w