hafts, making weird accompaniment to the
gong-like roar of the deep voices as they marched, singing--assuredly
the sight was a martial and inspiring one; but of those who beheld it
their leader was not the only one to think that he might have
appreciated it more fully if this enclosure contained not less than a
hundred good white men instead of a bare three dozen.

The latter were watching through the chinks in the stockade--these in
many places formed natural loopholes, where they did not they were made
to. How long would it be before the word was given to fire? was the one
thought in possession of each tense, strained mind. Then, suddenly, the
advancing host came to a halt.

Clearly the Matabele were not quite satisfied as to the place being so
innocent-looking and deserted as they had expected. For one thing,
there were no horses or cattle grazing about anywhere within sight,
these, of course, having been brought within at the earliest alarm.
This looked suspicious.

They were obviously holding a consultation, but had lowered their voices
so as not to be heard by whoever might be inside. Then about a score of
them, leaving the others, came a little nearer.

"Ho, Gumbega," called out one, hailing the storekeeper by the nearest
approach to his name that the native tongue could roll itself round.
"Are you from home that your gate is all barred up and made extra
strong?"

"No, I am here," replied Grunberger, in obedience to a whisper from
Lamont. "But that was done by the captain's orders."

"The captain! What captain?"

"The captain of about a hundred men who arrived here yesterday. Look at
all the rifles."

There was no mistake as to this. Rifle barrels protruded through the
chinks so that the whole of that side of the stockade seemed to glisten
with them. The savages were obviously nonplussed. A strongly defended
place containing a hundred well-armed whites--or even half that number--
constituted a nut which, large as their own force was, they did not care
to crack--at any rate not just then. So without a word those who had
come forward returned to the main body, and the whole impi resumed its
way, taking care to let them see, however, that it had no intention of
drawing any nearer to the place.

"Come out and look, Lucy," said Clare, who had been dividing her
attention between watching what was going on and trying to reassure her
terrified sister. "It's a splendid sight, and we don't get an
o