uld have been more natural
if he had wished to rest.

"Oh! Baas," he said, "I don't think this Tampel very healthy for
coloured people. I am told of some who have died here. That man
Karl who gave me the diamond, I think he must have died also, at
least I saw his spook last night standing over me and shaking his
head, and the boys saw it too."

"Oh! be off with your talk of spooks," I said, "and come back
quickly with those oxen, or I promise you that you will die and
be a spook yourself."

"I will, Baas, I will!" he ejaculated and departed almost at a
run, leaving me rather uncomfortable.

I believed nothing of the tale of the spook of Karl, but I saw
that Footsack believed in it, and was afraid lest he might be
thereby prevented from returning. I would much rather have gone
myself, but it was impossible for me to leave Anscombe so ill in
the hands of our strange hosts. And there was no one else whom I
could send. I might perhaps have ridden to Pilgrim's Rest and
tried to find a white messenger there; indeed afterwards I
regretted not having done so, although it would have involved at
least a day's absence at a very critical time. But the truth is
I never thought of it until too late, and probably if I had, I
should not have been able to discover anyone whom I could trust.

As I walked back to the house, having parted from Footsack on
the top of a neighbouring ridge whence I could point out his path
to him, I met Marnham riding away. He pulled up and said that he
was going down to the Granite stream to arrange about setting
some one up to watch the wagon. I expressed sorrow that he
should have the trouble, which should have been mine if I could
have got away, whereon he answered that he was glad of the
opportunity for a ride, as it was something to do.

"How do you fill in your time here," I asked carelessly, "as you
don't farm?"

"Oh! by trading," he replied, and with a nod set his horse to a
canter.

A queer sort of trading, thought I to myself, where there is no
store. Now what exactly does he trade in, I wonder?

As it happened I was destined to find out before I was an hour
older. Having given Anscombe a look and found that he was
comfortable, I thought that I would inspect the quarry whence the
marble came of which the house was built, as it had occurred to
me that if there was plenty of it, it might be worth exploiting
some time in the future. It had been pointed out to me in the
midst