"Come," he said, and in obedience to his brief command Buck, the doctor, and Bob Bacon ranged themselves with presented rifles on either side, and, not to be outdone, the two boys ran forward to join the advancing party as well. The spot where the feline marauders had been busy over their prey was not above sixty yards from the last waggon, and as the little party advanced, gaining confidence from the silence that reigned, and reducing the distance to about half, gazing searchingly the while at what looked like a breastwork of leaves lit up by the fire, the silence seemed to be awful, and as if moved by one impulse all stopped short at the end of another ten yards. "Must be gone, I think, gentlemen," whispered Buck; "but be ready to fire, for they are treacherous beasts, and one may be lying there badly wounded but with life enough in him to do mischief after all." "Hadn't we better wait till daylight?" whispered the doctor. "It will mean so long, sir," said the driver, rather gruffly. "I think we might risk it now, Mak," he cried, and he added a few words in the black's dialect. "He's willing, gentlemen," said the driver quietly. "Let's all go on again." Then slowly and cautiously the little line advanced, till all at once the black stopped, holding his spear point low and the haft pressed into the ground, for there was a savage roar, and a huge lion, which looked golden, made a tremendous bound right out into the light. Dean uttered a cry, and the brute couched, snarling fiercely, with the boy lying beneath the monster's outstretched paws. CHAPTER FIFTEEN. WHO WATCHED THE FIRE? "Back, Mark! Back, boy!" cried Sir James wildly. "No, no; don't shoot," he continued. The words were unnecessary, for the advancing men, stunned as it were by the catastrophe, stood fast, rifle to shoulder, not daring to draw trigger for fear of injuring the lion's prisoner; but as if deaf to his father's command, Mark continued to advance on one side, the black on the other, till they were close up to the great furious beast, whose eyes were glowing like the fire reflected in them, while its horrent mane stood up as if every hair were a separate wire of gold. The savage brute, as if contented with having captured its prey, couched there perfectly still, glaring at its approaching enemies as if waiting before making its next spring, and then, exactly together, from one side the black plunged the keen blade of his long spear into its shoulder, while from the other Mark, thrusting forward his rifle, drew trigger not a yard away, sending a bullet right into the monster's skull. There was a hoarse yell, a sharp crack, the lion threw itself over backward, rolled over twice, slowly stretching itself out with extended paws tearing at the earth, and then lay still. "Dean!" cried Mark, dropping on one knee. "Oh, don't say you are hurt!"