e idea seemed rather foolish, but after
consideration, Grenville could not but feel that his cousin was right,
and with the help of the ladies, who produced all sorts of curious and
unexpected odds and ends, as well as needles and thread, and assisted by
the loan of several handkerchiefs, a rude Saint George's ensign was
contrived, and soon floated on the summit of the rock, over the heads of
the little party, who saluted its appearance with three hearty cheers,
and a volley from their rifles, Grenville, as they did so, taking
possession of the country in the Queen's name, with a laughing apology
to the Rose of Sharon. This act was answered almost instantly by a
salvo from the enemy, and a flag was hoisted on the very top of a huge
tree, some six hundred yards away. This ensign was a curious
production--a dead black ground, ornamented with three horrible-looking
eyes, and having also a motto sewn upon it in white letters, which
proved to be their usual legend about the eyes of their unsleeping
Trinity. Taking a careful sight, Leigh sent a shell-bullet from his
Winchester clean through the flag, in which it tore a hole about a foot
long, entirely destroying the effect of the basilisk-looking eyes. Upon
this, the symbol was at once run down, and did not again make its
appearance.

CHAPTER TEN.

"ALL HOPE ABANDON, YE WHO ENTER HERE."

Throughout that day perfect quiet prevailed, but Grenville, uneasy, he
knew not why, and unable to get Winfield's warning out of his mind, took
his sleep early in the evening, and determined himself to keep watch
until dawn.

For hours he strained every faculty, but could neither see nor hear
anything to cause him anxiety, and when the moon rose he felt much
relieved, but after patrolling carefully round the rock he at length
heard a curious sound he could not account for, so mounted up to the
top, from whence he could see far and wide under the bright moonlight.
The rock, as already said, was situated in a hollow, with belts of trees
on almost every hand, one exception being on the side furthest from the
veldt, consequently nearest to the Western range, and from this quarter
a wide channel of rocks seemed to run for miles in the direction of the
mountains. To Grenville it had the appearance of a roadway upon which
giants had, here and there, flung heaps of stones and enormous masses of
rock in the wildest confusion. Winfield, however, had pronounced it to
be a quartz river, pr