went away.

Without venturing to turn on his light the Fakir started for the
rope-ladder; every few paces he paused to listen; he appeared extremely
suspicious, for at times he would halt for three or four minutes and was
constantly feeling his revolver.

At last he had nearly reached the ladder, when suddenly he saw a faint
glimmer as though from a light in the passage below, so, inch by inch,
he approached the edge until he was able to peer down, and almost at the
instant he did so the light below went out; but he had learnt much in
that one glance, and, as the sound of a severe struggle from below
reached him, he quickly lowered the ladder and quietly slipped down.

No sooner had he reached the bottom than he turned on his light for an
instant, which revealed Tom Ellison and a powerful native trying to get
the better of each other, the latter having a knife in his hand, but Tom
was holding him by the wrist and preventing him using it.

In a moment the Fakir had twisted the knife from the man's grasp, and
in a few seconds the man was bound and gagged.

"Well I'm----" began Tom, but the Fakir put his hand over Tom's mouth
and, taking him by the arm, led him to the cave-entrance.

"Speak low, Tom," said the Fakir in a low voice.

"Marvellous! Is it you, Burton? I should never have known you in that
get-up," whispered the surprised Tom.

"Seems like it. But quick's the word, my boy. We must have that man out
before any of his comrades come along, and this must be done without his
discovering who I am. We must blindfold him, for there is a rope-ladder
hanging near him, and on no account must he learn that it is down, and
that we are aware of its existence; as soon as we have him here I will
return and place the ladder as I found it," said Burton.

"Ah, now I understand why you so promptly put out your light when you
had secured the knife," said Tom. "But where shall you take the man? His
comrades will hear about his capture if you take him to the camp," he
added.

"That is the very last thing I wish them to learn. About an hour's walk
from here--but two hours for us to-night, I am afraid--there is a
salt-mine, and to-day I arranged--in case I needed it--to use part of it
as a temporary prison until we make a grand coup on the rest of the
gang. I have a couple of my men waiting near the mine now," explained
Burton.

It was a difficult tramp they had with their prisoner. They kept him
blindfolded, and his hand