ed to utter a cry
that should alarm the camp. But no sound escaped from him: the silence
was broken by a deeply whispered, "Baas!"

"Ah-h-h-h-h! You, Mak!" sighed Mark; and the words, "How you startled
me!" were ready for utterance, but they were not spoken.

"Him--him--sleep," whispered the black. "Mak watch.--Got gun."

As he spoke he raised Dean's rifle, which was resting upon the ground in
company with the black's spear, and Mark caught at it eagerly.

"Baas watch too," said the black. "Pig gone see."

Mark raised the hand at liberty and patted their black friend upon the
shoulder, asking himself the while what the man meant about the pigmy.
But he was too much occupied with the thoughts that he was arranging in
his mind with respect to his cousin and the black's presence.

"Why, he must have come and found him asleep, and taken the rifle to
keep watch for him. No, I won't wake him. We will stop here together
till he comes to himself; and how it will bring his disgrace home to
him!--Here, what's that?" he whispered, as he turned to catch Mak by the
arm.

But as he did so he felt that the faint sound he heard could be nothing
alarming, for the black stood silent and unmoved.

Mark realised directly, though, that he was listening with head bent
forward, and he began to breathe hard as with a faint rustling sound his
little black companion sprang to his side and whispered something.

In an instant Mak clutched Mark by the shoulder and tapped the barrel of
his piece.

"Shoot, shoot!" he whispered loudly, and as the boy grasped his meaning
he became aware of hurrying footsteps one of the bullocks uttered a low,
excited bellow, its sleeping fellows sprang to their feet, and the boy
drew trigger, the report raising the echoes that were lurking amongst
the black ruins waiting to be aroused. Then he fired again, past his
black companions, in the direction of the approaching steps.

The bellow uttered by the ox had made Dean spring to his feet, to feel
for his rifle.

"This way! Come!" cried Mark, making a dash for the waggon, followed by
the two blacks, all running for where the men from both waggons were
snatching their arms and preparing to respond to their leader's
commands.

What followed was to the boys one horrible mental chaos. There were the
loud yells of a strong body of savages uttering their fierce war cries,
to stagger and alarm the occupants of the camp; the reports of rifles,
the rush o