With arms in readiness they moved backward step by step. The lions began to pace up and down the strip of sand, tossing their shaggy heads toward the frightened men, and then the leader, a monstrous fellow with a mane that swept the ground, advanced a few paces and uttered a tremendous roar that seemed to shake the earth. Guy cocked his rifle, but at the sharp click Canaris turned on him fiercely. "Don't shoot," he whispered. "Don't shoot. If we can get over the ridge we may escape. I don't think they will attack us." In a moment more they reached the crest of the slope. The lions were still down by the pool. "Look," exclaimed Canaris, pointing to the right. "Do you see those rocks! We must make a run for them." The spot referred to was a dim mass rising out of the plain some fifty yards distant. Whether they really were rocks or not it was hard to tell. Another fearful roar put an end to indecision, and they ran at the top of their speed toward the hoped-for refuge. No one glanced behind. In imagination they felt the hot breath on their necks and heard the soft patter through the grass. Then the refuge was before them, a tall column of rock rising from a clump of jungle grass and some low, stunted timber. It towered up in ledges and in a trice Canaris had sprung upon the first platform, and extended a helping hand to his companions. With frantic haste they climbed another jutting ledge and pulled themselves to the top. None too soon, for as they turned to look, the big lion sprang into the air and landed with a roar of baffled rage on the ledge beneath. He rose instantly for another spring, but as he reared upward Guy brought down the butt of his rifle on the massive head, and the beast rolled down into the grass at the foot of the rock. Another lion loomed up in the shadows, and together the two paced about, lashing their tails and growling with fury. "That was a narrow escape," said Guy. "A moment more and we would have been caught." "We're not altogether safe yet," replied Canaris. "Those are hungry looking brutes, and it's hard to tell what they may do. We must remain quiet and watch them closely." The two lions continued to prowl up and down, licking their chops and occasionally glancing at the top of the rock. Suddenly they halted in the middle of their beat, and, pricking up their ears, assumed an expectant attitude. "They hear something," said Guy. "I wonder what it can be." For a full minute the two noble beasts stood like bits of statuary, not a muscle quivering, their tails slowly waving to and fro. Then with a couple of bounds they vanished in the high grass. "The siege is raised," exclaimed Guy, breathing a low sigh of relief. "Hush," replied Canaris, "not a sound, not a whisper for your lives. Down, down, crouch low; throw yourselves flat!" His voice was tremulous with sudden fear, and his hand shook as he pointed one nerveless finger in the direction taken by the lions.