Dead Man's Land Part 48

"And we have never wanted for game since we have come to Africa."

"That we haven't, sir," said Bob Bacon.

"Then he is some use, after all," cried Mark.

That night, with their strange surroundings wonderfully illuminated by the glowing fire, and a feeling of safety infused by the knowledge that the doctor and Buck Denham were their well armed watch, all slept off their weariness soundly and well.

There were two little interruptions to their rest, one of which Mark, as he was awakened, knew at once to be the barking roar of a lion far out upon the plain; but he dropped off to sleep directly, and the next one to rouse up suddenly was Dean, who found himself gazing at the doctor standing full in the light cast by the fire, and who at a word from the boy came slowly up to his side.

"What is it?" he said. "Well, Dean, I am rather puzzled myself. The cries were those of a drove of some animals, but I don't think they were either hyaenas or jackals. Whatever they were, they were scared by the fire, and--there, you can hear them going farther and farther away among the ruins. I could almost fancy it was a pack of some kind of dogs hunting. There, go back to your blanket. The air's quite cool, and I was glad to come closer to the fire for a warm. Get to sleep again, for I want to explore as much as we can to-morrow. The more I think, the more sure I feel that we have hit upon a very wonderful place, and I am longing for the morning and breakfast, so that we can start for our exploration and see what there is to see."

"Do you think we shall be able to go all over the ruins to-morrow, sir?"

asked Dean.

"No, my boy," said the doctor, laughing; "I certainly do not. There, lie down."

As Mark said, it was his nature to, and Dean had no sooner lain down than he dropped off fast asleep, to be roused by his cousin in the pale grey dawn to look at the pigmy seated upon a block of stone just outside the end of the waggon, waiting for the boys to appear, ready to continue his occupation of the previous day and follow both wherever they went.

"There he is," said Mark. "I don't know how long he means to stop, but he watches me like a dog. I wish he'd talk, and understand what I say.

He can't half take in what Mak says, and Mak's nearly as bad; but somehow they get on together, with a few signs to help, and they are capital friends."

"Dan seems quite to put life into us," said Mark, later on. "One feels quite different after a good breakfast. He's been begging me to get the doctor to take him with us as soon as we start to explore."

"Well, you don't want any begging," replied Dean.

"Oh, no, I shall ask; but Bob Bacon has been at me too, and you saw Buck Denham beckoning to me just now?"

"Yes; but he doesn't want to come, does he?"

"Doesn't he! Why, he began by telling me that Peter Dance had promised to look after the bullocks and help Dunn. He said he liked driving, but he was fond of hunting too, and he should like a change now and then."

"Well, let's ask the doctor."

"I have, and he said that he can't take everybody, because everything's new as yet, and the camp must be protected."

"Well, that's true," said Dean, "and we want to go."

"But it's all right," said Mark. "Father says that he will be glad of a day's rest, and he will stay and be sentry."

"Now, boys!" cried the doctor just then, and a short time later the well armed party started to see what they could make out of their strange surroundings, each of the men carrying now either a billhook or a small sharp hatchet stuck in his belt.

They soon found though their progress was so impeded by trees and tangled growth that the doctor turned as much as was possible to what proved to be kopje after kopje of piled up stones in their natural state, to find that the rocks were scored with ravine and gully, while in the higher parts some of these took the form of cavernous hollows pretty well choked with creepers, vines and thorns, and into which they could peer, to find darkness, while their voices sounded echoing, hollow and strange.

Every here and there too they came upon signs that the hollows had been crossed by piled up stones looking like rough walls, which half cut off the entrances. In another place what seemed to be a cavern was completely shut in, save that a hole was left, into which Mark pitched a loose stone that he managed to dislodge, to hear it go rumbling away into the darkness as if it had fallen to where there was a steep slope.

"There's something to see there," said the doctor, "some day when we are provided with lanterns and a rope or two. Why, boys, all this grows on one. There's no doubt now that we are amongst ruins, and how far they extend it is impossible to say. Stop here a few minutes, and let's have a look round. This bit is evidently natural kopje."

The party stood and sat about the steep slope of rock, and taking out a small field gla.s.s the doctor carefully scanned the rocky expanse for a few minutes, before handing it to the boys, who used it in turn.

"Why, it is a wilderness, doctor," cried Mark. "You look there," he continued, returning the gla.s.s, "just to the left of that clump of trees. I am sure that must have been a wall. You can see the what-you-may-call-them--layers of stones--courses. They are rough enough. But it must have been built up, because every here and there regularly holes are left."

"Yes," said the doctor, "you are quite right;" and he closed the gla.s.s again. "That is a regular chequer pattern. That must have been the top of the wall, and just below I made out a line of stones laid edgeways to form a zig-zag band. Old buildings, my boy, without doubt."

"But I want to see where our little chap found the gold," said Mark.

"Well, let's ask him," said Dean.

The boys turned to where the two blacks were standing watching them, a strangely a.s.sorted pair as they kept together, Mak towering up above the eager-looking pigmy, who seemed to have grown during the few hours that he had been with the party more active and better than before.

Mark began with Mak, asking a question to which the only answer he could get was a wave of the spear; but when he turned impatiently to the pigmy and began to question him in signs, touching the gold ornaments in the same way as he had tried to enquire of his fellow of the forest camp, the only reply he could get was a shake of the head.

"Well, I call that disappointing," said Mark. "It is just as if he had brought us here on purpose to show us, and now won't tell."

"Wait a bit," said the doctor. "We can't find out everything at once.

Come along, and don't wander away to a distance. Let Mak lead so that he may be able to follow the back track. I don't want to have any troubles of getting lost."

"But we can't get lost here, sir," said Mark, "for we can see for miles around."

"Yes, but the place is a regular maze. It's terribly hard work climbing about, and before long we shall want to return to camp."

And then oddly enough the doctor in his interest forgot his words and took the lead himself, descending into a gulch between the rocky slopes where they had been gazing into the rifts and cavernous places, and then rising and climbing to what is commonly known as a hog's-back ridge, which proved to be the untouched ma.s.sive pile of granite that rose higher than any other near, and was found to be broken up at the top with tumbled together heaps of rough blocks through which they wound in and out till they found their way narrowing with the walls inclining more and more till they touched. They paused at last in obedience to a call from the black, who shook his head, frowned, and signed to them to come back.

"What does that mean?" said the doctor.

"I don't know," replied Mark. "Hallo! Look here!"

For though the doctor and his white companions stopped short, the pigmy darted off quickly, not stopping till he reached Mak, who was some distance away, and who now began to retire more and more.

"I don't see anything to make him shrink away," said the doctor. "Shout to him, Mark, and tell him to return directly."

The boy leaped upon a stone and began waving his hand to their guide, signing to him to come on, but without effect, for Mak shook his head, gave the pigmy a sign to follow him, and retired more and more till they pa.s.sed round behind some tall bushes and disappeared.

"This is tiresome," said the doctor. "We want the fellow here, for he goes about just as if he knows the place, and it strikes me that he must have been here before. Well, I suppose we may as well turn back."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that, sir," said Mark. "Look, we can surely find our way without him. I know I could. It only means going down into the hollow, getting up on the other side, and then--oh, I could find my way.

Let's go on now. I want to see where this leads to. What do you say, Buck? Could you find your way back to the waggons?"

"Find my way back, sir? No fear of that! What do you say, Bob? And you, Dan?"

"Oh, yes," they replied; "that will be easy enough."

"But there must be some reason," said the doctor, "for Mak wanting to go back. Perhaps he's afraid of our being attacked."

"No, sir," said Buck, "it arn't that. I know what these fellows are better than you do, perhaps. If there had been any chance of a fight he would have stuck to you."

"Unless he was afraid of numbers," said the doctor.

"No, sir; that wouldn't make him turn tail. These Illakas are brave enough for anything. But Mak's a bit scared, all the same."