as the ancient traders who used to
go to Cornwall in their ships to get tin."

"What! the Phoenicians?" said Denham.

"Yes," I said. "They were big builders too. They built Tyre and
Sidon."

"Val," cried my companion, slapping me on the shoulder, "you've hit it
right on the head. They were the builders. We know they went to Scilly
and Cornwall for tin. They must have come here for gold."

"Oh no," I said. "They could sail from Tyre and Sidon, keeping within
sight of land all the way along the Mediterranean, through the Straits
of Gibraltar, and then up the coasts of Spain and France, and across to
our country; but they couldn't sail here."

"Well, not all the way; but I can recollect enough of the map to know
that they'd most likely have ships at the top of the Red Sea, and could
coast down from there till they got somewhere about Delagoa Bay or
Durban, and gradually travel across country till they got here."

"Rather a long walk," I said.

"Long walk? Of course; but it was done by the people in the course of
hundreds of years perhaps--settlers who came into the country after its
products. There, I believe it, and we must have made a find. Here,
come back and let's have a look at the old furnace and chimney."

We went back, and were soon satisfied that we had the right idea. On
further examination we found that some of the stones were calcined, and
at a touch crumbled into exceedingly fine dust; while one corner at the
back--below the chimney opening, where it was a good deal broken--showed
signs of intense heat, the face of one angle being completely glazed,
the stone being melted into a kind of slag like volcanic glass.

"Oh, there's not a bit of doubt about it," cried Denham. "What do you
say, Sergeant?"

"Not a bit o' doubt about it, sir. I've seen smelting-furnaces enough
our way for copper and tin, and this might have been one of such places,
made by old-fashioned folks who didn't know so much as we know now.
It's an old smelting-shop for certain; but I don't see as we've anything
to shout about."

"What!" cried Denham; "when we've made a discovery like this? Are you
mad?"

"Not as I knows on, sir. It's only like coming to a corner of the beach
at home and finding a heap of oyster-shells."

"What do you mean?" said Denham angrily.

"Why, sir, it only shows as there was oysters there once, and that
somebody came and dredged them, opened 'em, and ate 'em, and left the
shells behind.