ought to bear. There
appeared to be four great columns of smoke, and these, as they watched,
were merging into one, of vast volume, and now bright jets of flame were
discernible, as the fire licked its way along the thatch of the grass
huts. Then something strange befel. They who watched saw a fresh
outburst of smoke rise suddenly like an enormous dome from the centre of
that already ascending, seeming to bear aloft on its summit the
fragments of roofs, fences, _debris_ of every description, and then they
were conscious of a mighty roar and a vibrating shock, as the whole mass
subsided, releasing the flames, which shot up anew.

"That's an explosion!" cried some one excitedly. "Old Lo Ben's not only
burnt his nest, but blown it up into the bargain."

For some time further they lay there watching the distant work of
destruction. Then it was decided that their number should be divided,
and while some returned to the column to report the result of their
observations, the remainder should push on, and get as near Bulawayo as
they possibly could--an undertaking of no slight risk, and calling for
the exercise of unflagging caution, for there was no telling what bands
of the enemy might be hovering about in quite sufficient strength to
prove dangerous to a mere handful, though the opinion was that the bulk
of the nation's forces, with the King, had fled northward.

"Well, Percy? Tired of this kind of fun yet?" said Blachland as he and
his young kinsman rode side by side, the two or three more also bent on
this service advancing a little further on their right flank.

"Rather not. I wish it wasn't going to be over quite so quickly."

The other laughed. "I'm not so sure that it is," he said.

"Eh? But we've got Bulawayo."

"But we haven't got Lo Ben yet. My impression is that the tougher part
of this campaign is going to begin now. I may be wrong of course, but
that's my impression."

"Oh, then that settles it," answered Percival, not ironically, but in
whole-hearted good faith, for his belief in, and admiration for his
relative had reached the wildest pitch of enthusiasm. There was no
greater authority in the world, in his estimation, on everything to do
with the country they were in. He would have accepted Hilary's opinion
and acted upon it, even though it went clean contrary to those in
command all put together, upon any subject to do with the work in hand,
and that with the blindest confidence. And then