om us."

They hurried up, and found that Frank was right. The stones were lying
round what seemed to have been a dry well. In this a man had been
buried up to his neck, the chin being just above the level of the
ground. It did not appear that he was conscious of their approach; for
at the interval of every two or three minutes he continued to give vent
to the shrill monotonous cry, which had attracted their attention.

"What in the world can this mean!" exclaimed Nick. "The fellow can't
have tumbled into the well, and the stones have fallen in after him, I
suppose?"

"Is it some penance, do you think, that he is undergoing?" suggested
Warley.

"Or a punishment for a crime he has committed?" said Wilmore.

"It may be a punishment for some offence," said Mr Lavie, "though I
never heard of the Hottentots punishing their people in that way, and
the man is plainly a Hottentot. As for anything else, of course it is
quite impossible that he can have got jammed up in this way by accident;
and the Hottentots know nothing of penances. Such a thing has never
been heard of among them. But the first thing is to get the poor fellow
out and give him something to restore him; for he is half dead with
thirst and exposure to the sun, and does not seem conscious of what is
passing."

They fell to with a will, and had soon so far released the captive, that
he was able to draw his breath freely and swallow a little brandy, which
Mr Lavie poured on his tongue. He then opened his eyes for a moment,
gazing with the utmost bewilderment and wonder on the dress and
appearance of the figures round him; and then closed them again with a
low groan.

"They meant this--the beggars that holed him in after this fashion,"
observed Frank. "The stones are fitted round him as carefully as though
they had been building a wall. And, look! the poor wretch's arms are
fastened by a thong to his sides. What brutes! Hand us the knife,
Nick, and I'll cut them. How tough they are!"

It needed a strong hand and a sharp blade to sever the stout thongs,
which on subsequent examination were found to consist of rhinoceros
hide. But when his arms were at length free, the man made no effort to
use them. It was evident that they were so benumbed by the forced
restraint in which they had so long been kept, that he had lost all
power over them. They were obliged to continue to remove the stones,
until his feet were completely released, before he coul