Mr. Johnson entered first, followed by Ned, Dick being last of the party.
Dick heard a sudden shout and a heavy blow, and rushed in. Mr. Johnson lay
on the ground, his skull beaten in with a blow from the iron-bound staff
of a dervish, a wild figure with long hair and beard reaching down to his
waist. Dick was in time to see the terrible staff descend again upon Ned's
head. Ned guarded it with his rifle, but the guard was beaten down and Ned
stretched senseless on the ground. Before the fakir had time to raise his
stuff again, Dick drove his bayonet through his chest, and the fakir fell
prostrate, his body rolling down some steps into a cellar which served as
a woodstore.

As he fell Dick heard a fierce growl, and a bear of a very large size, who
was standing by the fakir, rose on his hind legs. Fortunately Dick's rifle
was still loaded, and, pointing it into the fierce beast's mouth, he
fired, and the bear rolled down the wooden steps after his master.
Throwing aside his rifle, Dick turned to raise his brother. Ned lay as if
dead.

Dick leaped to his feet, and ran out to call for succor. He went into the
house, but it was empty. He rushed to the door, and saw the rest of the
party in full retreat. He shouted, but his voice was lost in the crackle
of musketry fire. He ran back to Ned and again tried to lift him, and had
got him on his shoulders, when there was a tremendous explosion. Johannes'
house had been blown up.

Following close upon the sound came the yells of the enemy, who were
flocking up to pursue the English back to their trenches. Escape was now
hopeless. Dick lowered Ned to the ground, hastily dragged the body of Mr.
Johnson outside the door, and then, lifting Ned, bore him down the steps
into the cellar into which the fakir and the bear had fallen. He carried