Page 167 (1/1)

In an hour or two he ca of the second tableland A grey dirown bitterly cold Dawn in such high latitudes is not a thing of violent changes, but of slow and subtle gradations of light, of sudden, coy flushes of colour, of thin winds and bright fleeting hazes He lay for a minute in the scrub of cloud-berries, the collar of his coat buttoned round his throat, and thechill on his face Behind was the slope alive with e on the plateau He waited for the sight of a figure, but none carew in his brain, and a sudden clearness in the air translated it into action; for in the hazy distance across the tableland he saw the walls of Forza fort

The place could not be two miles off, and between it and hiht make a rush for it and cross unobserved Even now the early sun was beginning to strike it The yellow-grey walls stood out clear against the far line of mountains, and the wisp of colour which fluttered in the as clearly the British flag The exceeding glory of the our Why should not he run with any tribesman of the lot? If he could but avoid the risk of a rifle bullet at the outset, he would have no fear of the issue

He glanced behind hih far down there was a tinkle as of little stones falling He stood up, straightened his with the clean air Then he started to run quickly towards the fort

The full orb of the sun topped the mountains and the dazzle was in his eyes from the first If he covered the first half-ht expect a bullet It was a coour in his stride, the flush of thesun, and that aard, nervous weakness in the sht be expected to find a lodgone what seelanced hurriedly over his shoulder

Two e of the slope They were gazing intently at him, and suddenly one lifted a Snider to his shoulder and fired The bullet burrowed in the sand to the right of hiain he looked back and there they were--five of the out to him Then with one accord they followed over the plateau