It was the first time King Haffgo had been placed in such a grave situation, and he was panic-stricken.

He turned so suddenly and began crowding to the rear so hard, that he came within a hair of precipitating himself and those immediately behind him from the ledge.
But Ashman did not pull trigger.

He could not do so without endangering the lives of Ziffak and the king, and as yet the other warriors had made no demonstration against him.
But, seeing that the white man did not fire, Ziffak seemed to gather courage and straightened up again.

The king passed his own javelin to him, and he glared up the ledge as if looking for another favorable chance to launch, it with greater effect than before.
Ashman, who was narrowly watching every movement of his enemies, now observed that the warrior directly behind the king, carried a bow and arrow, and he was in the act of fitting a missile to the string, with the evident intention of trying his hand at the business in which the head chieftain had failed only a minute before..