f flame, which joined hands, as it were, below them, and the
fire went roaring along as swiftly as before.

Where they were grouped, in the midst of the open space, they felt the
scorching, were blinded by the smoke, and had a hard matter to keep the
beasts quiet, the leopard howling dismally, and the giraffe thrusting
its head beneath the back of the waggon-tilt, while the horses snorted
and plunged, and the oxen shook their heads, elevated their tails, and
behaved unpleasantly to each other with their horns.

But the danger was past, and at the end of an hour they were able to
trek on over the blackened plain, till they reached the first pool,
where, unpromising as everything was, they were glad to outspan and rest
for a few hours before once more resuming their journey.

But there was no renewal of the journey for the bay. Poor beast, it had
used up its remaining strength in that, last gallop, and when the time
had come for the renewal of the journey the bay was lying down.

Mr Rogers spoke to it, and the poor animal made an effort to rise, but
merely laid its head quietly down again, uttering a low sigh--and the
faithful beast was dead.

CHAPTER FORTY SEVEN.

HOW DINNY WAS LOST UNDERGROUND.

"I shall be glad to get back home, boys," said Mr Rogers the next
morning, "for the pleasure seems to have gone out of the trip now my
horses are all gone. Still there is one good thing, boys, yours are
safe."

This was as they were at last getting out of the course of the fire and
on to a tract of grass, so little scorched by the sun and so fertilised
by the stream that ran through that the oxen were out-spanned for a good
feed, as it was doubtful when they might obtain another.

Then followed days and weeks of trekking before they reached the part of
the country where the caverns were, and out-spanned one night at
Wonderfontein, where, for a promise of payment, the son of a Boer living
hard by undertook to provide lights and to show them the wonders of the
underground region.

The Boer lad said that they would require a light-bearer besides
himself, so Dinny was told to come, and after a little opposition he
followed his master and their guide to the extent of about a mile, when
the lad began to creep and slide down a well-wooded place in the plain
that looked like the crater of an old volcano.

Here Dinny began to hesitate again.

"An' is it go down there, sor?" he asked. "Shure and suppose the place
has