"God's will be done," I said, setting my teeth, as I prepared for the
end. At that moment, with an exclamation, Job lifted his revolver and
fired, and hit a man--not the man he had aimed at, by the way: anything
that Job shot _at_ was perfectly safe.

On they came with a rush, and I fired too as fast as I could, and
checked them--between us, Job and I, besides the woman, killed or
mortally wounded five men with our pistols before they were emptied.
But we had no time to reload, and they still came on in a way that was
almost splendid in its recklessness, seeing that they did not know but
that we could go on firing for ever.

A great fellow bounded up upon the platform, and Leo struck him dead
with one blow of his powerful arm, sending the knife right through him.
I did the same by another, but Job missed his stroke, and I saw a brawny
Amahagger grip him by the middle and whirl him off the rock. The knife
not being secured by a thong fell from Job's hand as he did so, and, by
a most happy accident for him, lit upon its handle on the rock, just as
the body of the Amahagger, who was undermost, struck upon its point and
was transfixed upon it. What happened to Job after that I am sure I do
not know, but my own impression is that he lay still upon the corpse of
his deceased assailant, "playing 'possum" as the Americans say. As for
myself, I was soon involved in a desperate encounter with two ruffians,
who, luckily for me, had left their spears behind them; and for the
first time in my life the great physical power with which Nature has
endowed me stood me in good stead. I had hacked at the head of one man
with my hunting-knife, which was almost as big and heavy as a short
sword, with such vigour, that the sharp steel had split his skull
down to the eyes, and was held so fast by it that as he suddenly fell