into his great mouth.

"He's all right!" said Anson enthusiastically. "You've got the wrong
pig by the ear this time. I thought this fellow looked honest."

The Kaffir darted a grateful look at the speaker, which told plainly
enough that he comprehended the words, and Anson replied with a smile.

"Ah, you ought to be on this job, Mr Anson," said the chief searcher
sarcastically. "You'd be invaluable here."

Anson laughed good-humouredly.

"You're bantering," he said; "I know. But I should like it, and I fancy
I could find the diamonds quickly enough if a man had hidden any."

"Find them then now," said the man who had spoken. "Come on."

There was a general laugh here, in which Anson joined.

"Nay," he said good-humouredly; "get another subject who has some
hidden. That chap has none, unless he has swallowed some."

"What would you do then, squire?" said the man. "Shoot him, and make a
_post-mortem_ exam?"

"Ugh! horrid!" cried Anson, with a look of the most intense disgust.
"But I say, I mean it. Fetch another chap, and let me examine him. I
should like to, really."

"Why don't you search this one?" said Ingleborough contemptuously, and
West laughed.

Anson winced and turned upon them half-angrily. But he changed his
manner before he had finished speaking, and his face broke up into a
broad smile.

"Because I don't want to be laughed at by you chaps and called a fool,"
he said. "I'm not stupid enough as it is to believe he has any diamonds
hidden."

"Well, I am," said Ingleborough coolly.

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Anson mockingly. "You go on with the search then,
and find them."

"There is no need," said Ingleborough coldly; "those two know what
they're about."

He was wrong in saying "two," for the under-searcher now continued the
examination, and Anson's eyes were screwed-up and twinkled again upon
seeing the man give up at the end of another two minutes and shrug his
shoulders.

"No go," he said, turning to his companion. "Someone has been too
clever here."

"Look again," said his chief.

"No: I shan't look any more. I've done."

West's eyes were resting upon the Kaffir, and he saw the man draw in a
deep slow breath which made his broad chest expand, retaining the air
for a minute and then slowly ejecting it.

"Ah! you'll never make a first-class searcher, Jem," said the head man.

"I never did profess to be so smart as you are," retorted the other
sharply.

"No, Jemmy, yo