But now an officer, bearing a torch, approached. On arriving at the entrance to the compartment where Alexis had exterminated all that had come, he drew back in terror; but his retreat was blocked by those pressing on from behind. The officer saw the heap of dead, but as yet he had not discerned the cause.
Suddenly a gigantic hand issued from nowhere and clutched him by the throat. A second later the captain fell close to the now extinguished torch, adding another body to the heap of dead. All this was effected as mysteriously as if by magic. Another officer, unable to account for the pile of dead, cried to the men behind him:
“Fire!”
A volley rang out, and for a moment the cavern was lighted as if by day. But none was hit. From behind him Alexis now heard the sound of Hal’s voice.
“Come back quickly!” whispered the lad.
The giant obeyed instantly, and glided softly through the door to the third compartment. Hal took him by the arm and led him to the side of the room, where he showed him the object over which he had stumbled when in the compartment a few moments before. It was a barrel of powder.
“Alexis,” said Hal, “you will take this barrel, the fuse of which I am going to light, and hurl it at our enemy. Can you do it?”
Alexis stooped over the barrel, weighing fully seventy pounds. He lifted it easily with one hand.
“Light it,” he said briefly.
“Throw it right in among them,” explained Hal.