Hillyard looked through the doorway and saw a curious scene.

Two Sudanese soldiers were present, one of whom carried the lantern.

The other, a gigantic creature with a skin like polished mahogany, was stripped to the waist and held poised in his hands a huge wooden mallet with a long handle.

He stood measuring his distance from the stem of a young tree which was wedged tightly between a small square of stone on the ground and the flat roof above.

Standing apart, and watching everything with quiet eyes was Harry Luttrell.
Even at this first glance in the wavering light of the lantern Hillyard realised that a change had come in the aspect of his friend.