"Where? ah! all ri-ight!"

The last syllable was shot out of me like a bullet as I plunged into the
ditch.

The Nimrod who carried the lantern opened the slide for a moment,
revealed the rugged nature of the ground, and closed it when I had
risen.

"It's better farther on," he said, encouragingly.

"Is it? Ah, that's well."

We came to a piece of ground which my feet and legs told me was covered
with long rough grass and occasional bushes. Over this we stumbled, and
here the rays of the lantern were directed far in advance of us, so as
to sweep slowly round, bringing bushes, and grassy tufts, and stumps,
and clods, into spectral view for a moment as the focus of light moved
on.

"We never see their bodies," said the lantern-bearer, slowly, as he
peered earnestly in front, "we only see the sparkle of one eye when the
light falls on it, and--then--we--fire--at--there, that's one! Look,
don't you see his eye? Fire, Sir, fire!"

I raised my gun, and looked eagerly with all my eyes, but saw nothing.
Never having been in the habit of firing at _nothing_, I hesitated.

"Ah, he's gone! Never mind, we'll soon see another."

We stumbled on again. The surrounding gloom depressed me, but I revived
under the influence of one or two false alarms, and a severe plunge into
a deepish hole.

"There he is again, quite near," whispered my light-bearer.

"Aim for the eye," whispered the other.

The whispering, and intense silence that followed, coupled with the
gloom, made me feel guilty. I saw nothing, but tried so hard to do so
that I persuaded myself that I did, and attempted to aim.

"The sights of the gun are invisible," I whispered somewhat testily.

Without a word the lantern was raised until the light glittered on the
barrels. Then I saw nothing whatever except the gun! In sheer
desperation I pulled the trigger. The tremendous appearance in the dark
of the sheet of flame that belched forth, and the crash of the report in
the silent night, gave me quite new ideas as to firearms.

"You've missed," said the light-bearer.

As I had fired at _nothing_ I felt inclined to reply that I had not--but
refrained.

Again we stumbled on, and I began to grow melancholy, when another
"there he goes" brought me to the "ready," with eager eyes.

I saw it clearly enough this time. A diamond was sparkling in the
blackness before me. I aimed and fired. There was a squeal and a rush.
Instantly my friends dashed off in