in company with me, never supposing I could possibly be alone.  While the women and children were departing up the rocks, the men snatched up spears and other weapons, and followed the women slowly towards the rocks.  The glen had here narrowed to a gorge, the rocks on either side being not more than eighty to a hundred feet high.  It is no exaggeration to say that the summits of the rocks on either side of the glen were lined with natives; they could almost touch me with their spears.  I did not feel quite at home in this charming retreat, although I was the cynosure of a myriad eyes.  The natives stood upon the edge of the rocks like statues, some pointing their spears menacingly towards me, and I certainly expected that some dozens would be thrown at me.  Both parties seemed paralysed by the appearance of the other.  I scarcely knew what to do; I knew if I turned to retreat that every spear would be launched at me.  I was, metaphorically, transfixed to the spot.  I thought the only thing to do was to brave the situation out, as

   “Cowards, ’tis said, in certain situations
    Derive a sort of courage from despair;
    And then perform, from downright desperation,
    Much bolder deeds than many a braver man would dare.”

(Illustration:  Escape glen—­the advance.)

(Illustration:  Escape glen—­the retreat.)

(Illustration:  Middleton’s pass and fish ponds.)

I was choking with thirst, though in vain I looked for a sheet of water; but seeing where they had dug out some sand, I advanced to one or two wells in which I could see water, but without a shovel only a native could get any out of such a funnel-shaped hole.  In sheer desperation I dismounted and picked up a small wooden utensil from one of the wurleys, thinking if I could only get a drink I should summon up pluck for the last desperate plunge.  I could only manage to get up a few mouthfuls of dirty water, and my horse was trying to get in on top of me.  So far as I could see, there were only two or three of these places where all those natives got water.  I remounted my horse, one of the best and fastest I have.  He knew exactly what I wanted because he wished it also, and that was to be gone.  I mounted slowly with my face to the enemy, but the instant I was on he sprang round and was away with a bound that almost left me behind; then such demoniacal yells greeted my ears as I had never heard before and do not wish to hear again; the echoes of the voices of these now indignant and infuriated creatures reverberating through the defiles of the hills, and the uncouth sounds of the voices themselves smote so discordantly on my own and my horse’s ears that we went out of that glen faster, oh! ever so much faster, than we went in.  I heard a horrid sound of spears, sticks, and other weapons, striking violently upon the ground