It was too late to use the revolver which he still carried in his hand, but quick as a flash he hurled it with all his might, and with such correct aim that it landed plump on the fellow's head with an ugly crack.
The Somali howled with agony, letting the spear drop from his nerveless hands, and just as it clattered to the ground Canaris was upon him with a rush, and down they went together, the Somali undermost.
Canaris was up in a trice, and Guy and Melton, bounding on behind, trampled the half unconscious savage under their feet.
"Go on," said Guy fiercely. "We will outwit them yet. Brace up, Melton; we'll soon be out of this hole."
Forbes gritted his teeth to suppress a cry of pain.
"I can't keep up much longer," he said. "I'll faint from loss of blood."
The place they had just entered was the great trading locality and slave market of the town. At this time of year it was deserted, but the empty stalls and booths stood about in endless confusion.
The wisdom of the route chosen by Canaris was now apparent, for this labyrinth of paths, which wove an intricate network through the stalls, offered just the opportunity they wanted; and, following the Greek's guidance, they twisted in and out in a tortuous line that gradually brought them toward the opposite side of the market.
The outcry behind them had by this time swelled to a perfect tumult, and the night air bore it to their ears with startling distinctness.
Fortunately for the fugitives, this vast court was surrounded by grim slave prisons, and they encountered no one in their flight. They reached the opposite side of the market in safety, and, plunging in among the mass of empty prisons, ran on, panting and breathless.