from one of relief and hope had become appalling. Below,
these human beasts, hundreds and hundreds of them, stamping their feet,
roaring, waving their tufted shields, flashing their blades, as they
bellowed forth, in a kind of improvised rhythm, their bloodthirsty
petition. Others, too, were joining them; but above all the shrill,
yelling voices of the sorcerers rose high and unflagging. Any moment
the wild rout might break out of hand, and then--

"Well, Father, I have sunk your ship with mine," said Lamont bitterly.
"If you hadn't come here to look after me you'd have been safe at
Madula's now."

"Yes? But where safety and duty take different paths, we must follow
the latter," was the tranquil reply.

Lamont looked at him with admiration. Here was a man of the pattern of
the old-time saint and martyr, if ever there was one, he thought.

"I am done for, but it is possible they may not harm you," he said. "If
you see--her--again, tell her you saw the last of me."

The frightful racket of the blood-song had become deafening now. A
glance forth served to show that many of the clamouring rout had faced
round, and were flourishing shields and weapons in the direction of
their retreat.

"It may be any minute now," he went on. Then, vehemently, "Father, I
would like to die in Clare's faith."

"And if you live, would you _live_ in it?"

"To the end of my days. I have been thinking a good deal about things
since I have been lying here."

The two were looking each other straight in the face. That of the
priest had brightened as though by a semi-supernatural irradiation.

"It may not be too late now," he said.

It was not. Something was done--not much, but sufficient. Something
was said--not much, but sufficient under the circumstances, as
sufficient indeed as though that pile of boulders had been a cathedral.
And no sooner was that so than the whole roaring, stamping rout came
surging up to the opening.

But, barring the said opening, stood ten men with levelled guns,
foremost among them the faithful Ujojo.

"Back!" cried the latter in stentorian tones. "You only enter here over
us dead ones. But you will enter over even more of your own dead ones
first."

The crowd halted, so fierce and resolute was the aspect of Zwabeka's
guards. Some vociferated one thing, some another. Some cried that they
would not harm the white doctor, but the man who had done such terrible
execution against them. U' Lam