le and female beauty, while the costumes bore more
than a casual resemblance to those pictured on the ancient monuments of
Egypt. Earle announced with finality that he intended to remain in camp
on the spot, not only until he had minutely and exhaustively examined
the sculptures, but also until he had photographed them as a whole and
some separately. That probably meant at least a week's sojourn where
they then were.

The proposed arrangement suited Dick Cavendish admirably, for the
prolonged halt appealed to him as something very much in the nature of a
holiday, especially when Earle declared that he would need no assistance
in his photographic operations, so that Dick would be free to amuse
himself in any way he pleased. Dick was rapidly becoming as keen a
naturalist, in a way, as Earle; once or twice, during the morning's
march, he had observed some particularly gorgeous butterflies flitting
about, and he promised himself that he would spend at least a portion of
his sojourn in the ravine in an endeavour to secure a few specimens.
There was one duty, however, which he at once recognised must fall upon
him, which was the supply of the camp with meat, and accordingly, upon
the conclusion of the mid-day meal, when Earle started to get his
photographic gear ready for the campaign among the sculptures, Dick took
his rifle and, accompanied by two of the Indians, proceeded up the
ravine in search of game. The country rapidly became wilder and more
picturesque as they went, to such an extent indeed that Dick quickly
made up his mind to pay it another and more leisurely visit; and after
about an hour's tramp, which carried him into a labyrinth of rocks, he
got a splendid shot at a creature strongly resembling a bighorn, which
he neatly bowled over and with it triumphantly returned to camp.

On the fourth morning of the party's sojourn in the ravine, Dick,
accompanied as usual by two Indians, set out, immediately after
breakfast, in search of meat for the day. Game was not particularly
plentiful in that region, but the lad preferred to take his chance of
finding something in his accustomed haunts, rather than tramp all the
way back to the savannah, and accordingly he proceeded, as usual, right
up the ravine, until he arrived at a point where a branch route led off
toward the left. Hitherto he had not tried his luck in that particular
direction, but he decided to do so now; and after about half an hour's
tramp, upon surm