the southward and eastward. The morning of the
second day saw them clear of the forest and sweeping over a fine open
country, sparsely dotted here and there with detached clumps of bush,
and over which roamed immense herds of buck and antelope, troops of
zebra, giraffe, and other animals, a few elephants, and ostriches
innumerable. But they saw nothing tempting enough to delay them; and so
they went drifting quietly along day after day--coming to earth only at
night, in order that they might miss nothing of the multitudinous
interesting sights that the country had to offer them--until at length,
one day, at noon, Mildmay announced that, according to his reckoning,
they were exactly fifty miles from the site of ancient Ophir.

And, indeed, there was no reason to doubt this statement. On the
contrary, the voyagers had, some hours earlier, imagined that they
recognised certain spots which had been rather more distinctly impressed
than others upon their memories during their former visit. For example,
as the _Flying Fish_ went driving gently along over the somewhat rugged,
well-wooded country, with its numerous streams winding hither and
thither, like silver threads, they sighted a native village some
distance ahead of them; and Sir Reginald remarked to Lethbridge, who was
standing beside him, examining the scene at large through his
binoculars--

"Surely, Lethbridge, that is the identical village from which we first
noticed the curious system of voice-telegraphy in vogue among the people
hereabout, and by means of which they sent forward the news of our
arrival, on the occasion of our last visit."

"Looks not at all unlike it," answered Lethbridge, with his binoculars
still at his eyes. "Anyway, we shall soon see," he added; "for somebody
has spotted us already, and there comes the entire population of the
place, turning out to look at us. And--yes--there goes a mounted man,
as hard as his nag can lay legs to the ground, doubtless to shout his
message. I will watch him."

The ex-colonel relapsed into silence for a few minutes; then he
resumed--

"Yes, Elphinstone, you are quite right; that mounted fellow has just
pulled up, and raised his hands to his mouth. Now, listen, Lady Olivia.
Do you hear anything?"

Yes, Lady Olivia heard, with singular distinctness, the sound of a
high-pitched voice shouting certain words, which, of course, she could
not understand, but every syllable of which was so slowly and clea