ering that the force at first engaged was not inconsiderable.
The word went forth to retreat.

This was done in good order--at first. But now appeared a great
outflanking mass, pouring up from the northern side, and its object was
clear. A long wire fence ran down from the apex of the rise. It was
necessary to retreat round the upper end of this. Did this outflanking
mass reach it first, the white force would probably be destroyed, for
they could not get their horses through the wire, and would have
crushing odds to overwhelm them. It became a race for the end of the
fence, which, however, the cool intrepidity and sound judgment of the
leaders prevented from being a helter-skelter one.

John Ames and "The Major" and a trooper were on the extreme left flank,
now become the right one, all intent on a knot of savages, who were
keeping them busily employed from a thick bit of thorn bush, and did not
at once become alive to the retreat. When they did, they became alive
to something else, and that was that by nothing short of a miracle could
they gain the upper end of that fence in time.

"Your horse jump, Ames?" said the American.

"Don't know. Never tried."

"You got to try now, then, by God! Our only chance. Look!"

John Ames did look, and so did the other man. At the upper end of the
fence a mass of savages were in possession, pouring a volley after the
retreating troop. Below on their right the three men saw the other
outflanking "horn" now closing in upon them, and a line of warriors
coming through the grass and thorns in front at a trot. It was a strong
impi, and a large one.

In that brief flash of time, John Ames was curiously alive to detail.
He could see the ostrich-feather mutyas worn by the warriors, the
parti-coloured shields and the gleam of spears, and decided this was a
crack regiment. He could see, too, the township of Bulawayo lying in
its basin below, and the retreating horsemen now already far away. He
noted the look of fear on the face of the trooper, and that of desperate
resolve in the keen eyes of the American.

"Now for it!" he cried. "Put your horses at it here. I'll give you a
lead."

A wire fence is a trying thing to jump, with an uncertain steed. To his
surprise, John Ames lighted in safety on the other side. Not so
Shackleton. His horse's hoofs caught the top wire, and turning a
complete somersault, threw its rider heavily, but on the right side of
the fence, while