and fear, he sprang
wildly upon the ledge of rock and seized the Spaniard by the throat.
Forgetting the extreme danger of his position, the white man swayed
backwards to strike an effective blow at his sable assailant,
overbalanced, and down they both went, with a horrid scream that rang
out far into the stilly night, and awakened long-drawn, fearsome echoes
in the dark and silent kloof.

One second more, and the horror-stricken band of listeners heard the
united bodies of the ill-fated pair strike with a sickening scrunch on
the rocks five hundred feet below. The whole affair was over in an
instant of time, and even the stem detective was deeply impressed by
this awful dual fatality, and could only beckon with his hand for the
others to follow him upwards quickly and in silence.

In a few moments more the adventurers emerged from the rocky path and
gained the shelter of the bushes, where Leigh and Kenyon quickly
bestowed the men in safe covers, and then posted themselves at a point
from which they could command the other side of the kloof, and so
possibly form an opinion as to how their enemies scaled its heights; for
at a glance the ascent gave promise of providing them with an extremely
difficult, if not impossible, task, and if, in addition to negotiating
this, they had to cope _en route_ with an armed and intrenched foe, the
prospect of success would be extremely problematical.

Leigh had a theory that the slavers were provided with long
rope-ladders, but arguing from the rapid disappearance of the slave
caravan, Kenyon declared that this suggestion would not hold water for a
moment.

Scarcely had Leigh and Kenyon gained their covers than, to their utter
astonishment, steps were heard approaching through the wood in their
rear, and whilst they were making themselves as small as possible, and
breathing a devout prayer that the black fellows might not lose their
heads and try to run away, a band of armed men passed swiftly by their
position and emerged into the moonlight.

The new-comers were about thirty in number, all armed with axe, rifle,
and lasso, and were, with but two or three exceptions, white men. As
they reached the zig-zag pass, the party extended into single file and
promptly disappeared from view down the face of the rock. Until all had
vanished Kenyon scarcely breathed, then Leigh and he turned eagerly to
one another, and hurriedly and anxiously discussed the situation.

Their examination th