rumbling walls of the ancient rampart. Their low
voices scarcely broke the stillness; they were afraid of something, they
knew not what. A stir was in the air, and yet they could not be said to
hear anything distinctly. It was more a feeling than a sound.

'You stay here,' whispered Alan at last, rising as he spoke. 'I will
just go and have a look round. If I can, I will let you know what is
behind that hedge, but if anything turns up, and I am not back
immediately, you will be safe here. No, don't come with me. It would
make too much noise.'

[Illustration: "Round and round flew the cat, the dog after it."]

With that he crawled away, leaving Marjorie to wait and listen
anxiously. For a long time, or so it seemed to her, she could only hear
the faint movement made by Alan as he parted the bushes, and crept
away. Even that soon died away, and the same deep silence settled on
everything. It was very hot; the air was so still that it seemed hotter
in the ditch than in the open, but she dared not stir. Alan must be able
to find her, if he required her. She sat and listened with ears strained
to catch every sound. How long she had waited she did not know, when a
sound of snapping twigs and running feet came from the near
neighbourhood of the hedge. Springing to her feet, she caught a glimpse
of two men forcing their way with all their strength through the
entanglement of sturdy brushwood and trees, which surrounded that
portion of the ruin. One of these men was a stranger; the other, to her
amazement, was Thomas.

She did not know what to do. Should she follow, or was it better to wait
till Alan shouted to her? Time went on. The sounds died away in the
distance, and all was quiet again. Alan had not called, and there were
no signs of where he was.

(_Continued on page 134._)

THE YAK.

[Illustration: Yaks.]

The Yak, or grunting Ox, as it is sometimes called from the peculiar
grunt which it makes, is a native of the high table-lands of the
interior of Asia, to the north of India--'the roof of the world,' as the
country is often called. It is a large animal of the ox kind, with a
massive head and front, and it is covered entirely with long hair which
reaches almost down to its hoofs. It has large, wide-spreading horns,
ending in sharp points, and its shoulders are high and almost humped.
Its long tail, unlike the tail of the ox, the buffalo, and the bison, is
covered with long, silky hair, reaching to the g