the
head, and registered a solemn vow to commit no further mistakes of the
kind, should Zero fall into their hands again. Clearly, however,
nothing could be done until dawn of day, and it was decided, therefore,
to let the rescued slaves sleep in their irons, and to wait for
daylight, in order that their captors might gain some little insight
into the character of their new charges. So, having set a watch of
Zanzibaris, overlooked by Grenville himself, the tired army laid itself
down, and was soon fast asleep, whilst the rescued slaves, who had been
told the good news that they would be liberated in the morning,
chattered to one another throughout the livelong night, like a troop of
monkeys in the forest. With the first gleam of daylight, Leigh and
Amaxosa were afoot, and without even staying to dispatch a mouthful of
food, threw themselves upon the bloodstained trail of the Slaver-Chief,
and were almost instantly lost to sight amongst the dense fog-banks
which overhung the surrounding veldt in every direction.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

"THE PEOPLE OF THE STICK."

First thing in the morning the slaves were unshackled, and, after all
had breakfasted, they were interviewed through the medium of one of the
native "guides," and our friends found to their horror that Zero and his
band of fiends had fallen upon this people, in the night, and after
picking out 300 of the finest among the men, had effectually stamped out
the remainder of the tribe, both root and branch, by _fastening them
all, young men and maidens, old men and children, in their huts, and
then setting fire to the village_, lining the palisades with their
rifles meantime, lest any should break out and escape, to bring down
upon the murderers swift and unsparing vengeance at the hands of a great
and warlike native people, who lived near at hand, and who were closely
related to the stricken tribe.

They seemed an intelligent and brave people, and would no doubt have
given a good account of themselves if Zero had not taken them utterly
unawares in their huts by night; and the men, who were as a rule fine,
athletic-looking fellows, declared that they would follow the white men
to the death, if they would but lead their party on and entirely eat up
these slavers, whom they denounced as monsters of cruelty--one man
stating that the great bloodhounds had been deliberately fed by Zero
himself _with the flesh of several baby boys, who had been roasted
alive_, and he