he caught hold of and dragged out straight, signing to the
little sailor to use his knife.

"Cut it off down there, little 'un?--There you are, then. Now trim off
all them leaves?--Will that do for you? Want to tie it up in a bundle,
do you? 'Cause if you do I wish you joy of it. Better let it twist
itself up into a knot."

But Dan had misunderstood the pigmy's wishes, for as soon as the long
cane was clear he caught it up, turned back with Mak to where the
serpent lay, and waited while the big black pierced a hole in the
serpent's neck. The cane was passed through, and then each taking hold
of one end, they dragged the reptile over the ground out of the opening
of the kraal, and then onward to where the kopje ended in a little
precipice by which the bright stream of the river glided fast. Here
they stood swinging it backwards and forwards a few times, let go
together, and the nearly dead serpent fell into the water with a splash
and was swept away.

"That's an end of him, then, Dean," said Mark. "Come on; let's get
back. I want to find something before we give up for to-day;" and
hurrying on, leaving the two blacks to follow at their leisure, and, as
it struck the boys, rather unwillingly, the excavation was reached.

"Come along," said the doctor. "I have been waiting for you before I
began, for I did not want you to miss whatever we find next. Now,
Denham."

Buck seized the spade, leaped into the hole, and began to ply the tool
energetically, while the two keepers used the baskets, and Dan danced
about, as active as a cat, seizing the stones that were thrown out; and
in this way the hole was deepened.

"You don't seem to find anything," said Sir James.

"We haven't got to the bottom yet," replied the doctor.

"Perhaps there is no bottom," said Mark, laughing.

"Don't you see," said the doctor, "that we are standing in the interior
of some old building? It must have had some form of paving for the
bottom, and what we are clearing away is the rubbish that has fallen in.
Go on Denham. We shall find something before long."

The doctor was right, for before many minutes had elapsed the big
driver, who drove the spade in energetically and with all his strength,
suddenly shouted, "Bottom!" and stood tapping the spade down upon
something hard.

"Only another stone, messmate," cried Dan.

"Nay; smooth, hard bottom," said Buck. "Look here;" and after lifting
out several spadefuls of the loose stuff