e patient and not quarrel any more with those who are less clever
than you. Chief and Father, I salute you! May he whom you named the
Otter serve you and the _Inkoosi_ your brother once more in the House
of the Great-Great, if one so ugly and misshapen can enter there. As for
the Basuto dog whom I slew and who would have stolen your gun, I see
now that I killed him in a fortunate hour, that he might be the slave
beneath your feet in the House of the Great-Great. Ah! had I known,
I would have sent a better man, for there as here Cheat will still be
Cheat. Hail, my father! Hail and farewell! Let your spirit watch over us
and be gentle towards us, who love you yet."

And Otter turned away without further ado; and having washed his wounds,
he set himself to the task of preparing such coarse food as they had in
store.

When it was ready Leonard ate of it, and after he had finished eating,
together they bore the body to the little cave for shelter. It was
Leonard's purpose to bury his brother at sundown; he might not delay
longer, but till then he would watch by him, keeping the last of many
vigils. So all that remained of the Basuto Cheat having been dragged
forth and thrust unceremoniously into an ant-bear hole by Otter, who
while he disposed of the body did not spare to taunt the spirit of his
late treacherous foe, the corpse of Thomas Outram was laid in its place,
and Leonard sat himself by its side in the gloom of the cave.

About midday Otter, who had been sleeping off his sorrows, physical and
mental, came into the cavern. They were short of meat, he said, and with
the leave of the Baas he would take the gun of the dead Baas and try to
shoot a buck.

Leonard bade him go, but to be back by sundown, as he should require his
help.

"Where shall we dig a hole, Baas?" asked the dwarf.

"One is dug," answered Leonard; "he who is dead dug it himself as the
others did. We will bury him in the last pit he made looking for gold,
to the right of where the hut stood. It is deep and ready."

"Yes, Baas, a good place--though perhaps Baas Tom would not have worked
at it so strongly had he known. _Wow!_ Who knows to what end he labours?
But perchance it is a little near the donga. Twice that hole has been
flooded while Baas Tom was digging in it. Then he would jump out, but
now----"

"I have settled it," said Leonard shortly; "go, and be back half an hour
before sundown at latest. Stop! Bring some of those rock-lilies if you