teaching us as it does the habits and customs of people who lived many
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years ago."

"Yes," said Sir James; "but it is rather ghoulish to disturb their
remains. What are you going to do now?"

"I was going to confirm my notions by going down into the pit and trying
to make sure whether there are any more remains; and if there are, I
propose that we shall refrain from doing anything that may arouse the
prejudices of the blacks."

"How?" said Sir James.

"By having that hole filled up again, for I feel convinced that we shall
find plenty to satisfy our desires without interfering with such relics
as these."

"I quite agree," said Sir James.

"Here, come with me, Denham," said the doctor, and without heeding the
two blacks, who stood aloof, leaning upon their spears close under the
wall, the doctor, closely followed by Denham and the boys, descended
into the deep square hole, where the sides of the round cavity torn out
by the charge of powder were examined for a few minutes, and then word
was given and the men set to work with alacrity to fill up the great
hole again.

"I say, Mark," said Dean, who had been looking on, quietly observant,
while the work progressed, for as there was no trampling down, that
which had been dug out kept on rising, till the hole was filled and rose
up above the edges in a loose heap, "have you noticed Mak?"

"Yes," said Mark, "and the Pig too. As usual, the doctor's right. The
more the hole gets filled up the more they seem to grow good-tempered
again. Yes, they didn't like it, and the doctor's always right."

"But I say, Mark, you didn't think so when he gave you such a snubbing
for rushing forward to fire the train."

"Yes, I did," said Mark, in a whisper. "I did think so, and I think so
now, and that's what makes it feel so hard."

It is impossible to say whether the doctor, who was supposed to be
always right, had any idea of what the boys were saying, but just then
in his cheeriest tones he cried, "Come along, boys; don't stop talking.
We have done work enough for one day. Let's go and see what Dan has
ready for us in the way of cooking. I feel half starved, don't you?"

"But Dan is helping to finish the covering in."

"Oh, no, he is not," said the doctor. "Brown came and fetched him half
an hour ago. He has been keeping up the fire, and I daresay we shall
not have to wait for our evening meal."

The doctor started off, and the boys