began
to whinny, then to neigh. That meant the proximity of another horse,
and a minute or two later Lamont rode up alone.

"Hallo, Peters! Nothing to make us millionaires to-day? What?" he sung
out. "No sign of the stuff?"

"Oh, that'll come. You've got the grin now, but we'll both have it--in
the right direction too--when this bit of bush-veldt's humming with
battery stamps and you and I are boss directors of the new fraud,"
answered Peters equably. They were to be joint partners in the
results--if any--of Peters' prospecting, at any rate while such was
carried on upon Lamont's farm.

"`Hope springs eternal...' or there'd be no prospectors," laughed the
latter as he dismounted from his horse. "See here, Peters. I wish
you'd left our desirable guest where he was, or taken him away somewhere
else--anything rather than bring him here."

"What could I do, Lamont?" was the deprecating reply. "He said he was a
pal of yours, and had come up-country on purpose to find you."

"As for the first, he lied. I hardly knew the fellow, and what little I
saw of him I disliked. For the second, I've no doubt he did. No. You
brought him, and you'll have to take him away."

"Well, I'll try and think out a plan."

"If you don't, one of two things will happen. Either he'll take over
the whole show or I shall be indicted for murder."

"Couldn't we set up a sort of Matabele rising scare, and rush him off to
Gandela?" said Peters, brightening up. "I've a notion he isn't brimming
over with eagerness for a fight."

"The worst of setting up scares is that they're apt to travel farther
than you mean them to, especially just now when that sort of scare may
any moment become grim reality. No, I'm afraid that plan won't do."

"Isn't there anyone you could pass him on to? Why not give him an
introduction to Christian Sybrandt, and fire him off to Buluwayo?"

"Because I wouldn't give him an introduction to anybody--not on any
account. See here, Peters. I don't like the fellow--never did, and he
knows it too. But he's going to exploit me all he knows how, and--that
won't be far. You remember that--er--that rotten affair I told you
about--you know, the thing that had to do with my coming out here again
when I did? Well, this fellow Ancram was there at the time. Helped to
hoot me down, you understand."

"Did he? The rotten, infernal swine! If I had known half that perhaps
I would have left him for jackal's meat in t