upon everything, and all nature was
looking her loveliest under the glamour of the shimmering moonlight.
All at once the stillness was marred by a footfall, and then rent, as it
were, by a furious curse, as the leading slaver reached the top of the
pass, and found the way blocked up. Climbing carefully over the stone,
however, he safely reached terra firma, and was stooping down to remove
the obstruction, when he was angrily hailed in nervous English by
Kenyon--"Here, you dog, leave that stone alone, and go back by the way
you came. Quickly now, and drop that rifle--drop it, I say, or your
blood be on your own head!"

For answer, the fellow fired point-blank in the direction of the voice
(for he could not see Kenyon, who was standing in the shadows of the
wood), and then made for cover, but he never reached it; indeed, he had
hardly moved in his tracks, when down he went, as dead as a door-nail,
being followed a moment later, along the same dark and fearsome road, by
a comrade who persisted in obtruding over the rock rather more of his
person than Leigh was disposed to permit, and ere the thundering echoes
of the rifles had ceased to answer and to mock one another amongst the
surrounding rocks, the remainder of the slavers, having no more stomach
for such work, were in full retreat down the rock, and half an hour
later were seen steering wide out into the south-western veldt, thus
putting entirely to rest any doubts which Kenyon still entertained of
the feasibility of an attempt to scale the opposite cliffs.

Had there been any way of ascending on the other side of the kloof, it
was quite certain the slavers would have known about it, whereas they
had clearly found it necessary to make a very wide circuit in order to
get round the rocks, and thus make their way back to head-quarters.

Sending forward their sable supporters with instructions to get the
prisoners across the chasm, Kenyon led his wondering comrade up the
cliffs to the right, where they suddenly came upon a small lake,
obviously fed by a neighbouring mountain stream.

"Now, old fellow," said he, "just lay down your rifle, and help me to
break up this wall, and assist outraged nature to regain her ancient
rights."

Leigh quickly saw that the water, which came sweeping rhythmically down
from the further heights beyond the hill, had at this point been
artfully turned by a well-made wall, built of rock and broken stone, and
apparently strengthened with m