t inclined to lie, but something impelled
him, almost against his will, to speak the truth now.

"No," he replied; "I slept for a few minutes."

Whitson drew his revolver and opened the breech.

"By God!" he said, "the cartridges are gone!"

Langley took his weapon out of the leather case and opened it. He found
the cartridges were there right enough.

"Have you any spare cartridges?" asked Whitson.

Whitson had already loaded his revolver with the five cartridges
which he had removed in the afternoon, but he again took these out and
replaced them in his waistcoat pocket, and then he reloaded with some
which Langley passed over to him with a trembling hand.

"Look here," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "we are in a trap of some
kind. When that old scoundrel comes back, do not let him know that we
have found out anything. We will walk on with him for a short distance,
at all events, and then be guided by circumstances. Stand by when you
see me collar him, and slip a sack over his head."

"Can we not go back now?" said Langley.

"Certainly not; we would never find our way at night. I guess we must
see this circus out. If you have to shoot, aim low."

In a few minutes Ghamba returned.

"Come on," he said. "He is sitting at the fire in front of the cave. I
have just seen him."

"Where is the cave?" asked Whitson. "Is it far from here?"

"We will reach it very soon; you can see the light of the fire from a
few paces ahead."

They walked on for about fifty yards, and there, sure enough, over a
rocky slope to their left, and at the foot of a crag about three hundred
yards away, could be seen the bright and fitful glow from a fire which
was hidden from their view by a low ridge of piled-up rocks.

Whitson stood still and questioned Ghamba:

"Now tell me," he asked, through Langley as interpreter, "how we are to
approach."

"The pathway leads up on the left side," replied Ghamba. "We will walk
close up to the crag, where there is a narrow passage between it and
that big black rock which you see against the light. You two can lead,
and I will be close behind. I have just seen him. He is sitting at the
fire, eating, and only the women are with him."

The last words were hardly out of the speaker's mouth before Whitson had
seized him by the throat with a vice-like grasp.

"Seize his hands and hold them," he hissed to Langley.

Ghamba struggled desperately, but could not release himself. Whitson
compressed his