purpose
as a standing place from which to carry on the excavations, I do not
know--at least, I did not then. At any rate, we all three reached it,
and, jumping on it, prepared to sell our lives as dearly as we could.
For a few seconds the crowd that was pressing on our heels hung back
when they saw us face round upon them. Job was on one side of the rock
to the left, Leo in the centre, and I to the right. Behind us were
the lamps. Leo bent forward, and looked down the long lane of shadows,
terminating in the fire and lighted lamps, through which the quiet
forms of our would-be murderers flitted to and fro with the faint light
glinting on their spears, for even their fury was silent as a bulldog's.
The only other thing visible was the red-hot pot still glowing angrily
in the gloom. There was a curious light in Leo's eyes, and his
handsome face was set like a stone. In his right hand was his heavy
hunting-knife. He shifted its thong a little up his wrist and then put
his arm round me and gave me a good hug.

"Good-bye, old fellow," he said, "my dear friend--my more than father.
We have no chance against those scoundrels; they will finish us in a
few minutes, and eat us afterwards, I suppose. Good-bye. I led you into
this. I hope you will forgive me. Good-bye, Job."

"God's will be done," I said, setting my teeth, as I prepared for the
end. At that moment, with an exclamation, Job lifted his revolver and
fired, and hit a man--not the man he had aimed at, by the way: anything
that Job shot _at_ was perfectly safe.

On they came with a rush, and I fired too as fast as I could, and
checked them--between us, Job and I, besides the woman, killed or
mortally wounded five men with our pistols before they were emptied.
But we had no time to reload, and they still came on in a way that was
almost splendid in its recklessness, seeing that they did not know but
that we could go on firing for ever.

A great fellow bounded up upon the platform, and Leo struck him dead
with one blow of his powerful arm, sending the knife right through him.
I did the same by another, but Job missed his stroke, and I saw a brawny
Amahagger grip him by the middle and whirl him off the rock. The knife
not being secured by a thong fell from Job's hand as he did so, and, by
a most happy accident for him, lit upon its handle on the rock, just as
the body of the Amahagger, who was undermost, struck upon its point and
was transfixed upon it. What happened to