Suddenly the dwarf halted and motioned the others to silence. All listened intently and directly made out what the sharp ears of Nikol had caught first—the sound of approaching footsteps.
Nikol motioned the others back into the shadow of a great rock and stepped boldly forward. Then he hesitated a moment, came back and spoke to Stubbs in a low voice, yet loud enough for the others to hear.
"If I should chance to be outmatched," he said, "you will come to my assistance? The others," he snapped his fingers, "are no good. You will come?"
Taken wholly off his guard, Stubbs stuttered and stammered.
"You will come?" Nikol repeated again.
"Ye-e-s, I'll come," Stubbs articulated at last.
Nikol wasted no further time in words, but moved forward perhaps a hundred yards. Then he halted and stood still, waiting.
The sound of footsteps drew nearer and still nearer, and then suddenly
Nikol sprang forward, silently and swiftly.
There came a sudden startled cry from ahead and then a great, boisterous laugh.
"Ho! Ho!" exclaimed a voice in French. "Look what has attacked
Ivan Vergoff."