goes with her did
reverence before the eyes of my forefathers, and asked a blessing and a
pardon ere she cast herself away." And he pointed to the little golden
crucifix which hung upon Benita's bosom, attached to the necklace which
Tamas, the messenger, had given her at Rooi Krantz.

"Now," he went on, "now the spell is broken, and the sleepers must
depart to sleep elsewhere. Enter, white men; enter, if you dare, and ask
for pardon and for blessing if it may be found, and gather up the dry
bones and take the treasure that was theirs, if it may be found, and
conquer the curse that goes with the treasure for all save one, if
you can, if you can, if you can! Rest you here, maiden, in the sweet
sunshine, and follow me, white men; follow me into the dark of the dead
to seek for that which the white men love." And once more he vanished
down the passage, turning now and again to beckon to them, while they
went after him as though drawn against their wish. For now, at the last
moment, some superstitious fear spread from him to them, and showed
itself in their eyes.

To Benita, half fainting upon the stone seat, for this experience had
shaken her to the heart, it seemed but a few minutes, though really
the best part of an hour had gone by, when her father reappeared as
white-faced as she had been.

"Where is Mr. Meyer?" she asked.

"Oh!" he answered. "He is collecting all the golden ornaments off those
poor bodies, and tumbling their bones together in a corner of the cave."

Benita uttered an exclamation of horror.

"I know what you mean," said her father. "But, curse the fellow! he
has no reverence, although at first he seemed almost as scared as I was
myself. He said that as we could not begin our search with all those
corpses about, they had best be got out of the way as soon as possible.
Or perhaps it was because he is really afraid of them, and wanted to
prove to himself that they are nothing more than dust. Benita," went on
the old man, "to tell you the truth, I wish heartily that we had left
this business alone. I don't believe that any good will come of it, and
certainly it has brought enough trouble already. That old prophet of a
Molimo has the second sight, or something like it, and he does not hide
his opinion, but keeps chuckling away in that dreadful place, and piping
out his promises of ill to be."

"He promised me nothing but good," said Benita with a little smile.
"Though I don't see how it can happen.