owards him, snake-like, through the long grass. These suddenly rushed
upon him, and he had barely time to shout to his son, "Make for the
camp!" when he fell, pierced by a shower of arrows. Of course, the
savages made off at once, well knowing that pursuit was certain. The
murderers were twelve in number. They made for the bush country.
Meanwhile, the avengers reached the murdered man. The body was on its
back, just as it had fallen. Death must have relieved the unfortunate
hunter before the scalp had been torn from his skull.

It was the first time that Victor Ravenshaw had looked upon a slain man.
Many a time and oft had he read, with a thrill of interest, glowing
descriptions of fights in which isolated acts of courage, or heroism, or
magnanimity on the battle-field, coupled with but slight reference to
the killed and wounded, had blinded his perceptions as to the true
nature of the game of war. Now his eyes beheld the contorted form of
one with whose manly aspect he had been familiar in the settlement,
scarcely recognisable in its ghastliness, with blue lips, protruding
eyeballs, and a horrid mass of coagulated blood where the once curling
hair had been. Victor's ears were still ringing with the deadly shriek
that had burst from Valle's wife when she heard the dreadful news--just
as he and his party galloped out of the camp. He knew also that the
dead hunter left several young children to be pinched by dire poverty in
future years for want of their natural bread-winner. These and many
similar thoughts crowded on his throbbing brain as he gazed at the new
and terrible sight, and his eyes began for the first time to open to
truths which ever after influenced his opinions while reading of the
so-called triumphs of war.

"Vengeance!" was now the cry, as the hunters left the place in hot
pursuit.

They knew that the savages could not be far off, and that they were
unmounted, but they also knew that if they succeeded in gaining the
larger portions of thick bush with which some parts of that region were
covered it would be impossible to follow them up. Moreover, it was
growing dark, and there was no time to lose.

In a few minutes Ian and Victor were left alone with two men who had
agreed to look after the body of the murdered man.

Sadly and silently they assisted in laying the corpse in a cavity of the
rocks, and covering it over with large stones to protect it from wolves,
and then prepared to leave the