"No, no, if say die, can't change mind to-morrow morning," gasped Jeekie
in a hoarse voice. "Here top rise, much nearer than I thought. Oh, my
aunt! who those?" and he pointed to a large number of big men armed with
spears who were marching up the further side of the hill from the river
that ran below.
At the same moment these savages, who were not more than two hundred
yards away, caught sight of them and of their pursuers, who just then
appeared on the ridge to the right and left. The dwarfs, on perceiving
these strangers, uttered a shrill yell of terror, and wheeled about to
fly to their fastnesses in the forest, which evidently they regretted
ever having left. It was too late. With an answering shout the
spearsmen, who were extended in a long line, apparently hunting for
game, charged after them at full speed. They were fresh and their legs
were long. Therefore very soon they overtook the dwarfs and even got
in front of them, heading them off from the forest. The end may
be guessed,--save a few whom they reserved alive, they killed them
mercilessly, and almost without loss to themselves, since the little
forest folk were too terrified and exhausted to shoot at them with their
poisoned arrows, and they had no other weapons.
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