l me at once, when suddenly you appeared upon
that point of rock, glittering like--like the angel of the dawn. I knew
that it must be you, for I had found out about your attempted escape,
and how you were hunted back to this place. But the Matabele all thought
that it was the Spirit of Bambatse, who has a great reputation in these
parts. Well, that took off their attention, and afterwards, as I told
you, it occurred to them that I might be an engineer. You know the rest,
don't you?"

"Yes," answered Benita softly. "I know the rest."

Then they plunged into the reeds and were obliged to stop talking, since
they must walk in single file. Presently Benita looked up and saw that
she was under the thorn which grew in the cleft of the rock. Also, with
some trouble she found the bunch of reeds that she had bent down, to
mark the inconspicuous hole through which she had crept, and by it her
lantern. It seemed weeks since she had left it there.

"Now," she said, "light your candles, and if you see a crocodile, please
shoot."

XXIV

THE TRUE GOLD

"Let me go first," said Robert.

"No," answered Benita. "I know the way; but please do watch for that
horrible crocodile."

Then she knelt down and crept into the hole, while after her came
Robert, and after him the two Zulus, who protested that they were not
ant-bears to burrow under ground. Lifting the lantern she searched the
cave, and as she could see no signs of the crocodile, walked on boldly
to where the stair began.

"Be quick," she whispered to Robert, for in that place it seemed natural
to speak low. "My father is above and near his death. I am dreadfully
afraid lest we should be too late."

So they toiled up the endless steps, a very strange procession, for the
two Zulus, bold men enough outside, were shaking with fright, till at
length Benita clambered out of the trap door on to the floor of the
treasure chamber, and turned to help Robert, whose lameness made him
somewhat slow and awkward.

"What's all that?" he asked, pointing to the hide sacks, while they
waited for the two scared Kaffirs to join them.

"Oh!" she answered indifferently, "gold, I believe. Look, there is some
of it on the floor, over Benita da Ferreira's footsteps."

"Gold! Why, it must be worth----! And who on earth is Benita da
Ferreira?"

"I will tell you afterwards. She has been dead two or three hundred
years; it was her gold, or her people's, and those are her footprints in
th