crowd.

Again another was discharged, but it whistled over our heads and exploded
far away behind us, shattering several houses, but injuring nobody. A
third and a fourth were sent at us, but neither were so effective as the
first. The breach in the wall where the gate had once been had now been
repaired, and the adherents of the Great White Queen were at last taking
the offensive.

Both Omar and myself had earlier that day, during our visit to the store
of arms, been instructed in the use of that terror of modern warfare, the
Maxim gun, and the one against which we stood with two men had been
allotted to us.

My companion, who had been watching with the deadly weapon ready sighted
to sweep the street, turned to ask news of Liola, whom we had not seen
since we were dragged from her father's house, and I had taken his place,
my hand ready to fire. Of Liola's fate I feared the worst. She had been
taken prisoner, and had probably been killed or injured in the fierce
_melee_.

Suddenly with wild yells, several hundred of the Naya's horsemen dashed
down the hill, their swords whirling, followed by a huge force of men
mounted and dismounted. I saw that at last they had come forth for the
attack, and without a second's hesitation bent and commenced a fire, the
terrible rattling of which held me appalled. The guns on either side
followed mine in chorus, and almost momentarily we were pouring out such
a hail of bullets, that amid the smoke and fire the great body of horses
and troops were mowed down like grass before the scythe. The foremost in
the cavalry ranks had no time to lift their carbines to reply, ere they
were swept into eternity, and those coming behind, although making a
desperate stand, fell riddled by bullets from our three terrible engines
of destruction.

The fight with Samory's fugitives on the Way of the Thousand Steps had
been exciting enough, but in extent or bloodshed was not to be compared
with this. In that single onward rush of the Naya's troops hundreds were
killed, for, ceasing our fire for a moment or two while the smoke
cleared, we saw, lying in the street, great piles of men and horses, who
had fallen upon one another in their forward dash and died under our
frightful hail of lead.

A short pause, and the rifles and all the chorus of surrounding artillery
took up their thunder-song with increased energy. These works of man
outrivalled the natural elements by their tremendous booming and their