Everybody in the mine compound had been so intent on what was happening within the area illuminated by the bonfire that only Bob himself and one or two more had noticed that several of the enemy had got past the critical point before fire was opened. They were now in darkness, but the clatter of their horses’ hoofs could be heard on the track just beyond the quarters lately occupied by the Pathans. At this sound Bob had much difficulty in preventing his men from blazing away at random at the cliff opposite. To allow it would be merely to waste ammunition, for the enemy were quite invisible; so he peremptorily ordered them to desist after two or three shots had been fired. When quietness was restored, he heard the horsemen retreating up the valley, and soon the sound of their movements died away. "Lucky we didn’t go to bed after all," said Bob to Lawrence. "Is that wire ready?" "Yes, but the rock isn’t drilled yet, is it?" "We’ll soon finish that. The track must be blocked at once, or we may have this going on all night." He called the miners up, and ordered them to go back to their work. "Mashallah, sahib, but it is not safe, we shall all be killed," one of them ventured to say. "Nonsense. They won’t come on again." "But some have got past, sahib. They will come back and shoot us." "They won’t venture within the light of the bonfire, and if they do the Sikhs will shoot them down. Come on: I’ll go with you. Give me the dynamite, Lawrence. Fazl, you take the end of the wire. Now then, a few minutes’ more work, and we’ll tumble a mountain of rock on to the track, and be able to sleep soundly for the rest of the night." His confident bearing, and the example of his personal leadership, inspired the men with courage. The bridge was again lowered; Bob passed over with Fazl and the miners; Lawrence, Gur Buksh and the Sikhs posted themselves between the bridge head and the southern extremity of the compound to guard against any attack on the part of the men who had gone up the track. They could not number more than a dozen or so at the most, and Bob felt sure that after what had occurred they would not be very ready to approach the spot that had proved so fatal to their comrades. He ordered the men to move very quietly. On reaching the place where they had flung down their tools, he bade them wait a little. From round the bend came the sound of voices, apparently some distance away. The enemy had not withdrawn altogether: would they have the courage to come on again? The machine-gun was no protection to the working-party, for it could not fire without great risk of hitting them. Bob sent one of the men back to fetch three of the Sikhs; their rifles might at any rate suffice to check a rush long enough for the miners to retreat to the bridge.