ne sank as silently as the first.
The chief, Sandili, had lost two fighting men, and that at the hand of a
woman.

Heavens! could this go on for ever? thought the entranced spectator,
standing back in the black gloom, awaiting his turn. Surely those
outside would become suspicious--in popular parlance, would "smell a
rat." But he forgot that the essence of their plan was to effect an
entrance one by one and in silence, and to that end they would wait
until each was safely inside, and, so as not to press or hurry the
foregoing one, would not wait immediately against the door. So, in a
trice, a third appeared, and met with exactly the same fate. Sandili,
the chief, had lost three fighting men, and still at the hand of a
woman.

The extraordinary dexterity and noiselessness with which each savage had
been felled, had awakened no sort of suspicion among those without. But
with the arrival of the fourth within the room, Elsie had somehow
miscalculated by ever so little, and instead of laying this one out,
rigid and motionless, the heavy iron head of the axe had descended full
upon the skull instead of upon the lower base thereof; consequently,
although the Kafir went down like a felled ox, the stroke was not
sufficiently vital in its effect as to prevent him from emitting a
groan, such as will sometimes proceed from a felled ox lying prone
beneath the hammer. And it carried to the ears of those outside.

These were seen to start and stand stock still, as though listening
intently. Then massing together, they came straight for the door, at a
sort of stealthy, creeping run.

"Shute, lad! Shute now!" whispered Elsie, quickly. Dick advanced a
step or two, just keeping still out of sight. A sharp, detonating roar,
and the heavy charge of Treble A. raked the bunched-up mass. Another
roar, and the effect was terrific, indescribable. The ground was
covered with dark, struggling forms, others staggering and tumbling over
these. At such close quarters the execution done had been deadly,
awful. The night air was rent with screams and yells. Some, leaping
up, fell immediately, even before they could carry out their intention
of limping away. Others lay still, as if never to move again. It
seemed that there was hardly one untouched among that stricken heap.

But there was, and although the move escaped Dick, a rapid signal was
given. Then from the further shade there rushed forth a number of dark
forms, and in ope