own very lightly, whereas the
reverse obtained.

As soon as the men were sufficiently recovered to move, the whole party
dragged their fevered forms a day's journey from the edge of the marsh,
and again camping on high, firm ground, did simply nothing until they
had in some measure regained both health and vigour, after which they
more cheerfully resumed the road, and in another ten days were once
again posted in their old location near the entrance to the pass,
exercising the additional precaution, however, of walling in the camp
with a particularly spiky and impenetrable zareba of thorn-bushes, and
of placing a couple of men on guard at night.

The day following their arrival our friends decided to spend lazily in
camp enjoying a thorough rest; and it was whilst Leigh was dozing and
smoking by turns in the afternoon, that the ever active Kenyon stumbled,
by the merest chance, upon an important discovery--no less, in fact,
than the earnestly-desired key to the secret of the Black Pass. The
matter fell out thus: Kenyon having nothing else to do, had, on the
previous night developed several photographic negatives, and was now
taking advantage of the sun to print off a number of pictures.

As each view came out of the printing frame, it was in turn examined and
passed quickly into the fixing bath; but as he was, however, about to
slip into the bath a view of the pass, he suddenly paused spell-bound,
and forgetting his unfixed picture, held it in his hands, his eyes
keenly noting every detail of the place. The strong light, of course,
quickly turned the picture black, and with an exclamation of impatience
he resumed his cool manner, printed and fixed another positive, then
stowed away all his paraphernalia, and lighting his pipe, sat quietly
down and gave his whole attention to the photograph.

After carefully studying the picture for close upon an hour, throwing
now and again a keen glance at the gloomy-looking entrance to the kloof,
he gave a grunt of satisfaction, and put the view into Leigh's ready
hand, saying as he did so, "Well, old fellow, I have often heard the
remark that photography cannot lie, but never until now have I realised
the full force of the axiom. To-morrow, at daybreak, thanks to my
camera, we shall enter Master Zero's mysterious territory, and then it
will be diamond cut diamond with a vengeance."

Leigh was instantly alive with excitement, and this Kenyon quickly
relieved by his explanation