Our greatest fear will then be that a few of the most plucky of them will rally in the bush, when they see that none of our troops come along.

Our troops are not likely to follow them up, as they will be well content with the victory they have evidently gained, and resume their march." They waited for an hour and, when they were on the point of getting up and making for the path, the Sikh said: "Someone is coming in the bush." In another minute, four natives came suddenly upon them; whether they came from the force that had been routed, or were newly arriving from some village behind, the two fugitives knew not; nor, indeed, had they any time to consider.

They threw themselves, at once, into one of the divisions at the base of a giant cotton tree.
These divisions, of which there may be five or six round the tree, form solid buttresses four or five inches thick, projecting twenty or thirty feet from the front, and rising as many feet high; thus affording the tree an immense support, when assailed by tropical storms.
Illustration: Two of them fell before Lisle's revolver.
The natives, seeing that the two men were apparently unarmed, rushed forward, firing their guns as they did so.

Two of them fell before Lisle's revolver.

One of the natives rushed with clubbed musket at him but, as he delivered the blow, the butt end of the musket struck a bough overhead and flew out of the man's hand; and Lisle, putting his revolver to his head, shot him.