r the great stairway; there
will be but few guards there, and we will slay them and escape from this
fearful country by the dark rood through the mountains; and if the evil
ones be too many for my father's sons, we can but take to the hills
beyond the stairway until the water be gone, for it will surely pour
itself into the River of Death until there be none remaining, and go far
away to the great salt sea from which my father came."

"Thou art a shrewd man as well as a brave one," said Grenville, shaking
the gratified Zulu by the hand; and instantly descending the rock, they
rejoined the others, who were now quite ready, and telling all to follow
him and look out sharply for the enemy, our hero, to the surprise of
all, led off at a quick pace in the direction of the very danger they
sought to escape.

Grenville, however, showed his wisdom by this action, for he thus kept
the rock between his party and any prying eyes, and he well knew that
large bodies of the foe would be posted on or near the veldt adjacent to
the rock, expecting the party--if they were fortunate enough to detect
the approach of the water before it overwhelmed them--to make a
desperate effort to cut their way through to the stairway. This
knowledge had decided Grenville to make a detour, which he successfully
did, and the party gained the open veldt some miles further on, without
their escape from the rock having been observed by the enemy, and were
soon pushing across this rolling prairie, with the terrific sound of the
advancing water in their ears, and hoping to gain the stairway without
having been perceived.

Vain hope!--when, after some hours of unmolested and ceaseless travel,
the little band arrived within earshot of the stairway, a blazing thread
of light shot upwards to the sky, and the hissing of a second rocket was
heard preparing to take its aerial flight. The Mormon in charge of this
incautiously showed himself for one second, and promptly received
Leigh's bullet through his brain; and then, without waiting for orders,
the active Zulus rushed up the steps and broke into the cavern, uttering
their fearful war-cries, and a moment later were joined by Grenville and
Leigh, and an awful battle took place between these four and seven
heavily-armed Mormons. Fortunately a torch was burning, and, equally
happily, the Zulus had taken the men by surprise and given them no time
to prime the pans of their rifles; but even as the cousins entered