evenged himself for all the wrongs suffered by his proud
spirit, and all the tears and blood of countless slaves, both black and
white, shed by this curse of Equatorial Africa.

The victory was complete, and their object was accomplished, yet all
forgot it in the awful gloom of the moment, cast heavily upon them by
the recollection that they stood upon the graves of thousands, who but a
few moments ago had walked the world in health and life--thousands
brought to a swift and awful end in one brief instant of time; and each
man felt that _the hand which slew them was the hand of God_.

Clearly, however, something must be done to relieve Amaxosa; for he
shouted to them that the rock was fast becoming red-hot, and would
shortly scorch his feet beyond endurance.

Fortunately the party had brought Leigh's rocket apparatus with them,
and soon succeeded in firing a line across the rock, and hauling upon
this, the Zulu quickly received a one-inch rope, which he fastened to
the rock by driving Zero's axe firmly into a crevice, and attaching the
rope to its haft, and then, the line being drawn taut, hung fearlessly
by his hands over the literally boiling flood, and coolly commenced to
work his way across. When about twenty feet from the edge, where his
friends stood ready to welcome him, a shriek of horror went up as the
axe gave way, the line slipped, and his giant form was heard to strike
with a sickening blow against the face of the cliff.

The anxious watchers held their breath, expecting to hear the final
splash as his senseless body plunged into the awful seething horror far
below; but Amaxosa had fortunately kept his head, and in spite of the
wrench received, and of the fearful blow, he hung on like a leech, and
was soon drawn into safety and tended anxiously by friendly hands, and
none too soon, for but one pace away from the abyss his senses left him,
and he fell prone upon the earth, but was soon brought back again to
life and health.

Silently the dawn of another lovely day came gliding over the earth, but
our friends saw it not, for all slept a troubled and unhappy sleep until
wakened by the fiery sun himself, when they hasted to put some miles
between themselves and the site of the abysmal grave below the mountain;
Grenville first despatching a pigeon to Equatoria, carrying glad
tidings, as follows: "Victory! all well--Zero dead.--

"Dick."

Slowly the party took their journey back, for all were more or less