s glared at them, and then with a mighty bound he leapt
towards them. They fired hastily, and then in stepping back the one
stumbled against the other, so that they both fell. They were at the
gorilla's mercy! One step forward and he would have struck the life
out of them with a couple of blows, but fortunately habit was too
strong for him, and he raised himself erect to give out his defiant
challenge. A little man tugged at Mr. Hume, who stood transfixed
with horror. Looking down, the hunter saw the haft of his Ghoorka
knife. He acted at once. Seizing it, he ran forward, and raising
himself up, brought the heavy blade down on the monster's skull just
as the last guttural bark was emitted. The boys, with their hands
lifted in a despairing effort to ward off the danger, saw the gleam
of metal, heard the rushing swish and the dull sound as the keen
blade bit through skin and bone; and then they saw the monstrous
black form suddenly sink to the ground. The next second they were
snatched up and tossed aside out of reach, and as they regained
their feet they heard the report of a rifle as Mr. Hume fired into
'' the hairy body. With its last effort the dying ape seized the
hunter by the leg and hurled him to the ground, his fall being
luckily broken by a decaying branch, which was crushed under his
weight. Bruised and shaken, the three travellers stood by the
carcase, over which the little men were singing a song of triumph,
as if they had been the chief actors instead of intensely interested
spectators. One of them was tugging at the knife to free it from the
skull, and as he could not move it, the second, and then the third,
had a try, all laughing with much merriment.

"It's fun for them," said Venning, rubbing a bruised arm.

"I believe," said Mr. Hume, sourly, "they contrived the whole thing
as a gladiatorial spectacle for their amusement. I don't think I was
ever so near death;" and he shook hands gravely. "If you had not
fired when you did, he would have had me."

"And what about us?" said Compton. "I never saw anything so awful,
and never felt so helpless, as when it stood over us."

"A good job for us he did stand," said Venning, taking out his tape.
"I should like to have his measurements. Just straighten him out."
He passed the tape over. "Length, 6 ft. 2 in.; round the chest, 55
in.; round the abdomen, 60 in.; length of arm, 44 in.; biceps, 14
in.--not so very huge; forearm, 15 in.; calf, 13 in. His power