Thus the play proceeded in front of the defences, while Fullam silently and industriously plied his way up the narrow gorge, covered entirely from sight by the elevated ridges of rock, which, rising up boldly on either side of the pass, had indeed been the cause of its formation.  But his enemy was on the alert; and the cunning of Munro—­whom his companions, with an Indian taste, had entitled the “Black Snake”—­had already prepared for the reception of the gallant Georgian.  With a quick eye he had observed the diminished numbers of the force in front, and readily concluded, from the sluggishness of the affair in that quarter, that a finesse was in course of preparation.  Conscious, too, from a knowledge of the post, that there was but a single mode of enfilading his defences, he had made his provision for the guardianship of the all-important point.  Nothing was more easy than the defence of this pass, the ascent being considerable, rising into a narrow gorge, and as suddenly and in like manner descending on the point opposite that on which Fullam was toiling up his way.  In addition to this, the gulley was winding and brokenly circuitous—­now making a broad sweep of the circle—­then terminating in a zigzag and cross direction, which, until the road was actually gained, seemed to have no outlet; and at no time was the advancing force enabled to survey the pass for any distance ahead.

Everything in the approach of the Georgian was conducted with the profoundest silence:  not the slightest whisper indicated to the assailants the presence or prospect of any interruption; and, from the field of strife below, nothing but an occasional shot or shout gave token of the business in which at that moment all parties were engaged.  This quiet was not destined to continue long.  The forlorn hope had now reached midway of the summit—­but not, as their leader had fondly anticipated, without observation from the foe—­when the sound of a human voice directly above warned him of his error; and, looking up, he beheld, perched upon a fragment of the cliff, which hung directly over the gorge, the figure of a single man.  For the first time led to anticipate resistance in this quarter, he bade the men prepare for the event as well as they might; and calling out imperatively to the individual, who still maintained his place on the projection of the rock as if in defiance, he bade him throw down his arms and submit.

“Throw down my arms! and for what?” was the reply.  “I’d like to know by what right you require us to throw down our arms.  It may do in England, or any other barbarous country where the people don’t know their rights yet, to make them throw down their arms; but I reckon there’s no law for it in these parts, that you can show us, captain.”