lead the party until noon,
faster than most of them would care to go.

The sun was already high in the heavens by the time that Grenville and
Kenyon had succeeded in getting the Mormons under weigh, and their own
breakfast being then ready, Grenville waked Amaxosa, and all three
partook of a hearty meal, feeling quite sure that they would soon
overtake the main body.

Leigh, with his wife and child, all the wounded, and a guard, which
consisted of the few remaining "People of the Stick," were left behind
in Equatoria, there being no other course open to our friends, as it was
obviously impossible to carry the sick and wounded with them on a forced
march, and probably into the very teeth of a desperate and extremely
doubtful battle.

Grenville, however, took two carrier pigeons with him, telling Dora that
if the fight was going against their party he would send her word by one
of these, when she must depart at once from Equatoria with her party,
cross the chasm by means of the traversing cage, must cut the rope
behind her, and by causing her men to again turn the course of the
mountain stream into the northern marsh, lay bare the rocky pathway down
the kloof.

When her party reached the veldt it would at once strike out due east
and travel night and day until some of the wandering Arab slavers were
met with, when Grenville considered it likely that the promise of large
rewards would induce these men to afford her safe escort to some seaport
town. The plan did not, of course, promise particularly well; but, on
the other hand, it was infinitely better than sitting still and waiting
for Zero to return and torture everyone to death, and Grenville well
knew that the gallant "warriors of the Stick" would fight for "their
sister," if need arose, as long as they had a leg left to stand on.

And so the trio bade farewell to the tearful Dora, begging her to be of
good comfort, as if they could but arrive in time there would be little
fear of the result; and so they passed away and left her once again,
alone in this hated Mormon town--yet not alone, for she had now her
husband and her child, and these two needed all her loving care.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE HAND OF GOD.

As our friends had anticipated, they found little difficulty in
overtaking the Mormon crowd, and, at once going to the front, they set
the rescue-party a very different pace to that hitherto travelled by
them, and keeping them at the work, despite their