had not been so warned escape?

"Heavens! it won't bear thinking about," he replied. "Formerly, in the
Cape wars; the Kafirs didn't kill women; at least, so I've often heard.
Perhaps these don't either. Dibs, it's too awful. Let's put it to
Jekyll."

But the opinion of that worthy, and of two others with experience, was
not cheering either. It was impossible to say what these might do.
Most of the younger men of the Matabele nation were a mongrel lot, and a
ruffianly withal One resolve, however, was arrived at--that if they
succeeded in beating off their present assailants, they would hurry over
to the aid of the Hollingworths.

The night wore on, and still the enemy gave no sign of his presence.
Had he cleared out, they speculated? No, that was not likely, either.
The odds were too great in his favour. It was far more likely that he
was waiting his chance, either that they might strive to break through
his cordon and get away in the darkness--and there were some who but for
the fact of having wounded men to look after would have favoured this
course--or that he would make a determined rush on the position with the
first glimmer of dawn.

In the small hours of the morning the man with the shattered kneebone
sank and died. He knew he was doomed, and declared that he welcomed a
speedy release. Had he any message? asked the others, awed, now the
time for action was in abeyance, at this pitiful passing away in their
midst. If so, they pledged themselves solemnly to attend to his wishes.
No, not he, was the answer. Anybody belonging to him would be only too
glad to be rid of him, and to such the news of his death would be
nothing but good news. He had never done any good for himself or
anybody else, or he supposed he wouldn't be where he was.

"Don't say that, old chap," said Jekyll. "Every man Jack of us who gets
away from here without having his throat cut owes it to you. If that
isn't doing any good for anybody else I'd like to know what is."

"Hear, hear!" came in emphatic chorus.

"Oh well, then perhaps a fellow has done something," was the feeble
rejoinder. And so the poor fellow passed away.

But they were not to be suffered to give way to the sad impressiveness
of the moment, for a quick whisper from those at the back window warned
that something was taking place. At the same time those watching the
front of the house gave the alarm. Straining their sight in the dimness
of the approaching d