early to think about that, for the
perils of the enterprise were only about to begin. Turning back within
their shelter now, he proceeded to question Hlangulu, who was squatting
against a rock, smoking a pipe--to question him once more as to the
surroundings of the King's grave.

But the man's answers were mere reiterations of all that he had said
before. They would soon be within touch of the guards whom, in the
ordinary way, it would be impossible to pass. The snake? Yes, there
was no doubt but that it was the _itongo_, or ghost of the Great Great
One who sat there. Many had seen it. He, Hlangulu, had seen it twice,
and had retreated, covering his face, and calling out the _sibonga_ of
the dead King. It was an immense black _mamba_, and had been seen to go
in and out of the grave. It was as long and again half as long as
Isipau himself, he declared, looking Blachland up and down.

The latter, remembering Sybrandt's narrative, concluded that there was
something decidedly creepy in bearding a particularly vicious and deadly
species of serpent within a narrow cleft of rock, the beast being about
nine feet long at that--which is what Hlangulu's estimate would make it.
Under any circumstances it would be bad enough, but now with all the
grim and eerie adjuncts thrown in, why the whole scheme seemed to
bristle with peril. And what was there to gain by it? Well, the gold.

It must not be supposed, however, that the idea of obtaining this was
cherished without a qualm. Did not the whole thing look uncommonly like
an act of robbery, and the meanest kind of robbery too--the robbery of a
grave? The gold was not his. It had been put there by those to whom it
belonged. What right to it had he? As against this he set the fact
that it was lying there utterly useless to any living soul; that if he
did not take it, somebody else would; that the transfer of the whole of
the Matabeleland to the British flag was only a question of time, and
that, during the war which should be necessary to bring about this
process, others would come to hear of this buried wealth, or light on it
by chance, and then, would they be more scrupulous? Not one whit.

It will be remembered that he was all eagerness to effect this weird
exploration even before he had the faintest inkling that the place
concealed, or might conceal, anything more valuable than a few
mouldering relics--a few trumpery articles of adornment, perhaps, which
might be