That Arab's gun never went off.

Only he went up two feet or more into the air and fell backwards, shot through the head which was the part of his person that I had covered.
The hunters uttered a low "_Ow!_" of approval, while Stephen, in a sort of ecstasy, exclaimed: "Oh! what a heavenly shot!" "Not bad, but I shouldn't have fired it," I answered, "for they haven't attacked us yet.

It is a kind of declaration of war, and," I added, as Stephen's sun-helmet leapt from his head, "there's the answer.

Down, all of you, and fire through the loopholes." Then the fight began.

Except for its grand finale it wasn't really much of a fight when compared with one or two we had afterwards on this expedition.