Webster turned with a roar, expecting to face the foe; but he stood
amazed to see the native who had so opportunely arrived to cut their
bands disappearing through a hole in the wall. Laura stood by, holding
Hume by the hand, while with the disengaged hand she pointed at the
hole.
"A refuge," she whispered; "a hiding-place."
"Hold the passage a minute, Sirayo," he cried, then ran to her, and
looked through into a dark cavern. "Is it safe?" he asked.
"Yes," said Hume; "but I have lost half my perception with the loss of
sight; there is some sort of cave here, I think. The man told me he had
run here for shelter."
There was a shout from beyond.
Laura struggled through; then Webster lifted Hume, and almost shot him
in. "Klaas, come!"
The Gaika looked along the passage and hesitated. Webster ran, caught
him by the neck, and jammed his head in the hole, then shoved him
through by main force.
"Jim, come in!" cried Laura.
He was already advancing to the passage, but he turned. "I cannot,
Laura. Sirayo must come too;" and he rushed away to join the chief, who
stood astride the passage eyeing a fresh body of the enemy, whose
glaring eyes and quivering nostrils met the view above the striped
shields.
Two men stood shoulder to shoulder, their shields before them, and two
behind held their bucklers above the heads of those in advance.
"Now!" they cried, "together!" and advancing in a solid mass, by their
sheer weight pushed back their two opponents into the open room; but
beyond the opening the two would not budge.
Webster drove his fist full in the face of the foremost native, who
fell, stunned, against the men behind, and in the opening made Sirayo
plunged his assegai. Then the two of them struck and thrust furiously,
while the Zulus in front, who could not use their hands, cried to those
behind to give them room, but the latter, scenting blood, pressed on the
more fiercely, till at last they forced their way and, by their impetus,
fell headlong into the room. Webster and the chief sprang aside a
moment, and then dashed among their foes before they could rally; and
the desperate rush they made, and their great strength exerted to the
utmost in each swift blow, combined with the fierce war-shout and
terrible vigour of the great Zulu, produced a panic. The injured men at
first ran crying out, and then the survivors fled, leaving the two alone
with a few writhing figures. Then they struggled, all blood-stained and
panting, through the hole to the hiding-place, and the stone was
replaced.