tread of the approaching foe, a curious
rumbling sound was heard, and a single instant later a liquid column of
fire suddenly burst from the ground, shooting up to the height of thirty
or forty feet, where it uniformly hung like a gigantic fountain of
living flame, whose waves, as they reached the ground, scorched the
grass and rolled irresistibly towards the forest like a sea of blazing
boiling lava.

The fire had burnt through the earth's crust and ignited a vast
reservoir of petroleum, which now sprang heavenwards in a vivid pillar
of lurid light, plainly revealing every stick and stone for fully half a
mile around the rock.

All this Grenville realised as it were by instinct; but there was no
time to observe the extraordinary natural phenomenon, for the whole
Mormon army appeared to be rushing across the open glade within two
hundred and fifty yards of the rock.

The fire of the besieged was close and deadly; and though upwards of
twenty men fell to rise no more, whilst another score or two turned tail
and incontinently fled into cover, still some ten in number, braver than
their comrades, gained the rock and attempted to enter, only to fall a
useless sacrifice to the spears of the Zulus and the revolvers of Leigh
and Winfield.

Thus closed the Mormon attack on the rocky fortress of the little band.

Careful watch was kept all night, but at dawn not a living soul was to
be seen, and ascending the rock Grenville soon found that the entire
party had gone clean away, leaving only their dead and their shame.

He had at first feared that the molten stream of fire would ignite the
forest; this, however, was prevented by the river near the rock, into
which the boiling oil poured, and was carried harmlessly away,
incalculable wealth thus being wasted hourly before their very eyes.

CHAPTER NINE.

MINING AND COUNTER-MINING.

The party at the rock now passed some little time in quiet and
comparative comfort. They were not in any way molested, and though
strict watch was kept both by night and day, the Mormons never ventured
near their position, despite the fact that the oil well had apparently
exhausted itself. This, however, caused Grenville no serious
uneasiness, for Winfield had found that by superficially boring the
ground near to the rock, he could easily get at and ignite several
similar reservoirs of inflammable oil.

It was nevertheless patent that their enemies had quite determined they
should not