er and brag! What nonsense! Why, the
doctor says you are a man that anybody could trust."

"Said that, did he, sir?" cried the big fellow, with his eyes twinkling
with satisfaction. "Why, that's as good as what the boss said. Well,
I'm not going to tell any of the other fellows that. They would laugh
at me, and sarve me right. But we have worked, sir, all of us, to get
the place square, and when we have made a regular clearing of all this
rag and tangle of rocks and trees--"

"Which we never shall, Buck," cried Mark.

"You're right, sir; never! For I never saw such a place. You can go
miles anyway to the nor'ard and find more and more built up stones and
walls and what not. Why, once upon a time there must have been hundreds
of thousands of people living here, and now--where are they all? All we
have seen was that old nigger, as Dan sticks out and argues, when we are
having a pipe together of a night, was the last man that was left; and
then he always finishes off by shaking his head when I say I wonder how
he got away."

"Ah, it was curious," said Mark.

"Not it, sir. He crept away as soon as he thought it was safe. Got
into some hole or another. There must be hundreds of places where he
could tuck hisself, and we shall dig him out one day, as sure as sure;
and that'll be when we least expect it. But talk about a kraal, sir,
for my bullocks! They are as safe as safe, and you have got a regular
stable for your ponies, quarters for us as Dan calls a snug forecastle
and Peter says is a bothy, and as for yours, you gen'lemen's being up
against that wall, why, it's splendid, only as I was telling the doctor,
sir, I shan't feel quite happy till we've got an extra thatch on. You
know, it can rain out here in Africa, sir, and when it does it goes it."

"Well, I daresay we shall get that done, Buck, when we have got time."

"Yes, sir, when we have got time; but that won't be just yet, and I
suppose I shan't be here to help."

"You not here to help! What do you mean?"

"Well, sir, I suppose I wasn't to chatter about it, but I may tell you;
the doctor got talking to me only yesterday about what he calls the
supplies, by which he meant wittles for the guns and extra for
ourselves."

"Ah," said Mark.

"He said that of course meat was plentiful enough, and there were lots
of fish in the river, but we ought to be prepared if we stayed here long
to get a fresh lot of flour and mealies, tea, and coffee, an