ng out a case, and
then laughing, for the police officer was watching him keenly. "That's
right; there are three or four diamonds in every one of these cigars,
and as I smoke you'll notice that I don't burn much of the end I light,
but that I keep on biting off bits of the leaf till I get to the
diamonds, and then I swallow them."

He held out his cigar-case, and the superintendent took it and began to
feel the cigars, till Anson burst out laughing.

"Don't pinch them too hard," he cried, "or you'll break them, and then
they won't draw."

The officer returned the cigar-case with an angry ejaculation, and
glanced round as if hesitating where to begin, while the horses of his
men began to imitate the action of the oxen, nibbling away at the rich
grass surrounding the pleasant spring.

"I say, Robert," said Anson, and the superintendent started at the
familiar nickname: "I'd look smart over the business, for the Boers have
been here lately to water their horses, and if they should by any chance
come back it might mean a journey for you and your men to Pretoria."

"And you too, if they did come," said the officer surlily.

"Oh, I don't know," said Anson airily. "I don't believe they would stop
a man with an empty wagon going south on a peaceful journey."

"They'd take you and your wagon and span, sir," said the officer
sternly.

"Look here, I don't believe the Boers would behave half so badly to me
as my own people have done. But aren't you going to search?"

"Yes," said the superintendent sharply. "Your rifle, please."

Anson unslung it from where it hung in the wagon, and the officer took
it, examined the stock and the plate at the end of the butt, to be sure
that there were no secret places scooped out of the wood, before he
opened the breech and withdrew the ball cartridges, holding the empty
barrels up to his eyes.

"That's right," cried Anson; "but have a good look round for squalls--I
mean Boers. Gun-barrels don't make half bad things to squint through
when you haven't got a binocular."

"Bah!" said the superintendent angrily, replacing the cartridges and
closing the breech with a snap. "But you have a pair of glasses slung
across your shoulder, sir. Have the goodness to pass the case here."

Anson obeyed willingly enough, giving his slung case up for the rifle
that was returned.

"There you are," he said, "and when you've done I suppose you'd like to
search my clothes and my skin. But I have