“My lord is not hurt, I hope?”

“In no way, Nessus, thanks to you; but my head swims and my arm is well nigh broken with that blow.  Who would have thought a beast like that could have struck so hard?  See, he has dented in my helmet and has bent my shield!  Now, before we go back and search for the body, let us see what its den is like.”

“Do you take my spear, my lord; your own is broken, and your bow has gone over the precipice.  It may be that there is another bear here.  Where one is, the other is seldom far off.”

They advanced on to the platform, and saw in the corner of the angle a cave entering some distance into the hill.  As they approached the entrance a deep growl was heard within.

“We had best leave it alone, my lord,” Nessus said as they both recoiled a step at the entrance.  “This is doubtless the female, and these are larger and fiercer than the males.”

“I agree with you, Nessus,” Malchus said.  “Were we on other ground I should say let us attack it, but I have had enough of fighting bears on the edge of a precipice.  There is as much meat as we can carry ready for us below.  Besides, the hour is late and the men will be getting uneasy.  Moreover, we are but half armed; and we cannot get at her without crawling through that hole, which is scarce three feet high.  Altogether, we had best leave her alone.”

While they were speaking the bear began to roar angrily, the deeper notes being mingled with a chorus of snarls and whinings which showed that there was a young family with her.

“Do you go first, Nessus,” Malchus said.  “The rear is the post of honour here, though I fancy the beast does not mean to come out.”

Nessus without a word took the lead, and advanced across the platform towards the corner.

As he was in the act of turning it he sprang suddenly back, while an arrow flew past, grazing the corner of the rock.

“There are a score of natives on the path!” he exclaimed.  “We are in a trap.”

Malchus looked round in dismay.  It was evident that some of the natives must have seen the fall of their leader and watched them pursue the bear, and had now closed in behind them to cut off their retreat.  The situation was a most unpleasant one.  The ledge extended no further than the platform; below, the precipice fell away sheer down a hundred feet; above, it rose as high.  The narrow path was occupied with numerous foes.  In the den behind them was the angry bear.

For a moment the two men looked at each other in consternation.

“We are fairly caught, Nessus,” Malchus said.  “There is one thing, they can no more attack us than we can attack them.  Only one can come round this corner at a time, and we can shoot or spear them as they do so.  We are tolerably safe from attack, but they can starve us out.”

“They can shoot over from the other side of the ravine,” Nessus said; “their arrows will carry from the opposite brow easily enough.”