ad calculated upon. Flinging the
old man from him with a fearful oath, the slaver sent his powerful voice
echoing through the house and out along the streets, calling up guards
and officers in every direction, whilst our adventurous friend soon
after took his departure, entirely unnoticed during the tumult which
followed the communication of the news which he had given, regarding the
position of his friends.

Hanging about for a few moments, however, Kenyon learned all he wished
to know, as he heard Zero, with a volley of oaths, exclaim: "Put off her
execution? No, by all the Gods--no, tie the slut to the faggots at noon
to-morrow, and let her roast, and mind you have her whelp of a son to
watch her die, whilst I eat up these cursed fools who think to change my
vengeance and to spoil my trade."

This was all that Kenyon required to know, and an hour later he was deep
in consultation with his friends in the hermit's cave, amongst the
northern hills.

It was agreed on all hands that Kenyon had acted for the best, as the
plan he had formed, though simple in the extreme, had every promise of a
grand success.

Briefly, the scheme stood thus:--Whilst Zero was moving up to the
attack, as he evidently meant to do next morning, a party of their own
was, by way of the secret passage and the well, to enter Equatoria, fall
upon the few guards left there, carry off the captive woman, and
generally do as much damage to the slavers' town as they found it in
their power to accomplish. It was calculated that the rifles of Leigh,
Umbulanzi, and Ewan, supported by the Atagbondo marksmen, would be quite
sufficient to check Zero in his ascent up the steep and difficult path
to the cavern; and, even if he forced his way so far, he would have to
reckon with about two hundred of the Atagbondo, and would find their
warriors uncommonly hard nuts to crack; whilst Kenyon and Grenville, who
were to assail the town, would take with them Amaxosa and his men,
together with a hundred of the "People of the Stick," quite sufficient,
they thought, to do irreparable damage to the slavers' home in the two
hours which they promised themselves to spend in Equatoria.

And so, after looking carefully over their arms and their defences, the
little band lay down to sleep that night with perfect confidence in
their leaders, and in the issues of the morrow; only Leigh sat up the
whole night cleaning his weapons, with murder in his heart, and a wealth
of de