o earth at the
first shock. And when I looked round for another I found all three in
full flight, one of them leaving his right hand behind, which Rupert
had managed to slice off at the wrist with the first blow. They ran
for their lives, shouting out that they had to do with two demons from
the pit. Rupert, seeing the man I had struck down move, stepped over
to him, quite cool, drew his blade across the poor wretch's throat,
and wiped it on his turban. After this we lost no time in shifting our
ground before the rest of the pursuers came up.

With the chase so hot after us, it had become plain that we must be
taken before long, unless we could hit upon some means of escaping
from the garden. In this strait I bethought myself of the trees whose
boughs I had noticed from outside overhanging the wall, when we passed
it earlier that night. I reminded Rupert of this, who exclaimed
joyfully--

"Well done, cousin, I declare you have saved us now! I believe I can
find that part of the garden easily enough, when it will be a simple
matter to climb the trees and drop down on the other side of the
wall."

We set out at once, Rupert leading the way, and turning from side to
side as we heard the Moors shouting after us. They now felt pretty
sure of our whereabouts, and began discharging their pieces where we
went, so that the balls tore the leaves off the trees all round us,
but luckily without doing us any damage. We arrived at the wall, and
seeing a tree suitable for our purpose, made for it, but just as we
reached it one of those black rascals we had put to flight espied us.
He raised the cry, and instantly we found ourselves surrounded by the
whole band, at least twenty of them rushing at us out of the dark, and
all with the most murderous looks I have ever seen.

I now gave up all for lost, and planting myself with my back against
the tree prepared to sell my life dear. Not so Rupert, who was already
off the ground, climbing like a cat up the smooth trunk. He was out of
sight among the branches directly, and in another minute would have
been safely over the wall, when at a signal from their leader, about a
dozen of the Moors who had firearms discharged them all together into
the tree. I heard a groan and a sound of scrambling above, and
presently Rupert dropped, falling heavily straight on to the ground,
where he lay quite still.

When I saw what had happened, I abandoned all further thoughts of
resistance, and throwing