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The useless destruction of any of these poor creatures was the farthest idea from

my mind. I should have liked to have spoken with them, but I did not care to risk

having to use my high-powered rifle upon them other than in the last extremity.

Once in my new place of concealment, I watched them as they approached the

tree. There were about thirty men in the party and one woman--a girl whose

hands seemed to be bound behind her and who was being pulled along by two of

the men.

They came forward warily, peering cautiously into every bush and halting often.

At the body of the lion, they paused, and I could see from their gesticulations and

the higher pitch of their voices that they were much excited over my kill.

But presently they resumed their search for me, and as they advanced I became

suddenly aware of the unnecessary brutality with which the girl's guards were

treating her. She stumbled once, not far from my place of concealment, and after

the balance of the party had passed me. As she did so one of the men at her side

jerked her roughly to her feet and struck her across the mouth with his fist.

Instantly my blood boiled, and forgetting every consideration of caution, I leaped

from my concealment, and, springing to the man's side, felled him with a blow.

So unexpected had been my act that it found him and his fellow unprepared; but

instantly the latter drew the knife that protruded from his belt and lunged

viciously at me, at the same time giving voice to a wild cry of alarm.

The girl shrank back at sight of me, her eyes wide in astonishment, and then my

antagonist was upon me. I parried his first blow with my forearm, at the same

time delivering a powerful blow to his jaw that sent him reeling back; but he was

at me again in an instant, though in the brief interim I had time to draw my

revolver.

I saw his companion crawling slowly to his feet, and the others of the party racing

down upon me. There was no time to argue now, other than with the weapons we

wore, and so, as the fellow lunged at me again with the wicked-looking knife, I

covered his heart and pulled the trigger.

Without a sound, he slipped to the earth, and then I turned the weapon upon the

other guard, who was now about to attack me. He, too, collapsed, and I was

alone with the astonished girl.

The balance of the party was some twenty paces from us, but coming rapidly. I

seized her arm and drew her after me behind a nearby tree, for I had seen that

with both their comrades down the others were preparing to launch their spears.

The Lost Continent