his own doom. He was putting himself completely in the power of
devils, who were incapable of pity and strangers to humanity. To make
friends with such fiends was impossible, and I felt sure that our only
plan was to rule by terror--to seize, to slay, to conquer. But still I
had to wait for him, and did not dare to resort to violence while he
was absent; so I waited, while the savages gathered round me,
contenting themselves with guarding me, and neither touching me nor
threatening me. And all this time the hag went on, intent on her
preparation of the horrible repast.

While standing there looking, listening, waiting for Agnew, I noticed
many things. Far away the volcanoes blazed, and the northern sky was
red with a lurid light. There, too, higher up, the moon was shining
overhead, the sky was gleaming with stars; and all over the heavens
there shone the lustre of the aurora australis, brighter than any I
had ever seen--surpassing the moon and illuminating all. It lighted up
the haggard faces of the devils around me, and it again seemed to me
as though I had died and gone to the land of woe--an iron land, a land
of despair, with lurid fires all aglow and faces of fear.

Suddenly, there burst upon my ears the report of a gun, which sounded
like a thunder-peal, and echoed in long reverberations. At once I
understood it. My fears had proved true. These savages had enticed
Agnew away to destroy him. In an instant I burst through the crowd
around me, and ran wildly in the direction of that sound, calling his
name, as I ran, at the top of my voice.

I heard a loud cry; then another report. I hurried on, shouting his
name in a kind of frenzy. The strange courage of these savages had
already impressed me deeply. They did not fear our guns. They were all