Part 89 (1/2)

Ngati was ent than Don had expected, for directly after he felt two great warm hands placed under to support his bare feet These were raised and lowered a little; and, seizing the opportunity, he let hiati placed his feet upon two broad shoulders, and then Don felt hiround

As this went on Don could feel the post he had clih he could not see, he could tell that Jem had mounted to the top

”Where are you?” whispered Jerasped the situation, and the chief caught his feet, lowering hi out of the darkness, knocking Don right over, and seizing Ngati

That it was one of the guards there could be no doubt, for the man raised the alar doardly in turn

He and Don could have fled at once, but they could not leave their New Zealand friend in the lurch; and as the struggle went on, Jeati's help, no easy task in the darkness when two ot a grip of one of the combatants'

throat; but a hoarse, ”No, pakeha!” told hi his arrasp, and with such good effect, that Ngati wrenched himself free, and directly after Don heard one heavy blow, followed by a groan

”My pakeha!”

”Here!” whispered Don, as they heard the rapid beating of feet, shouts below, in the _pah_, and close at hand

Ngati seized Don's hand, and after stooping down, thrust a spear into it Then, uttering a grunt, he placed another spear in Je hi the fence for his oeapon

He spoke no more, but by o first, holding his spear at the trail, he grasping one end, Don the other Jeether they would not be separated

All this took ti the brief moments that elapsed it was evident that the whole tribe was alarht, Mas' Don! I understand It's follow ati did not hesitate a ht for the river, apparently right for where so

All at once the New Zealand chief stopped short, turned quickly, and pressed his hands firmly on Don's shoulder; for voices were heard just in front, and so near, that the lad feared that they rasped the chief's idea, and lay flat down, Jeround, a group of the eneainst Je

Fortunately Jerily, theup, not--as Don expected--to let drive with a spear at his co his fall to some stone, or the trunk of a tree, he ran on after his coati rose, uttered a feords, whose iht for the river

It was their only chance of escape, unless theya sati's intention Over the river see straight for it, he only paused again close to its brink, listening to the shouting going on but a very short distance from where they stood

While Don listened, it sounded to hi thes, and covering every inch of ground so closely that, unless they escaped from where they were, capture was absolutely certain

As they stood panting there, Ngati caught Don's hand, and tightened it round the spear, following this up by the saht, Je river, Mas' Don?”

”It seeht”

Before theh the distance was not above twenty or thirty yards, the water ran roaring over great stones in so fierce a torrent, that Don felt his heart sink, and shrank from the venture