e floor for several minutes, brooding deeply.

"I fix him," he growled. "His time vill come, by tarn! I let him know he
can't take my vives avay mit him. Der dog! I fix him some day purdy
soon. Und dem tarn vimmens! Dem tarn hyenas! Dey run avay mit him, eh?
Ach, Gott, if I could only put my hands by deir necks yet!"

"Vat for you fret, Yacob?" growled one of the Boers. "You couldn't take
dose vimmens back by Europe mit you. I tink you got goot luck by losing
dem. Misder Chase can't take dem back needer--so, dey go to hell yet.
Don't fret."

"Veil," said Von Blitz, arising. "Come on, boys. Dis is der lasd of dem.
Den ve blow der tarn t'ing up. Grab hold dere, Joost. Up mit it, Jan.
Vat? No?"

"Gott in himmel, Yacob, vait a minutes. My back is proke," protested
Joost stubbornly. Von Blitz swore steadily for a minute, but could not
move the impassive Boers. He began pacing back and forth, growling to
himself. At last he stopped in front of the tired trio.

"Vat for you tink I vant you in on dis, you svine? To set aroundt und
dream? Nobody else knows aboud dis treasures, und ve got it all for
ourselves--ve four und no more, und you say, 'Vat's der hurry?' It's all
ours. Ve divide it oop in der cave mit all der money ve get from der
bank. Vat? Yes? Den, ven der time comes, ve send it all by Australia und
no von is der viser. Der natives von't know und der white peebles von't
be alive to care aboudt it. Ve let it stay hided in der cave undil dis
drouble is all over und den it vill be easy to get it avay from der
island, yoost so quiet. Come on, boys! Don't be lazy!"

"I don't like dot scheme to rob der bank," growled Jan. "If der peeples
get onto us, dey vould cut us to bieces."

"But dey von't get onto us, you fool. Dey vouldn't take it demselves if
it vas handed to dem. Dey're too honest, yes. Vell, don't dey say ve're
honest, too? Vell, vat more you vant? Dey don't know how much money und
rubies dere is in der bank. Ve von't take all of it--und dey von't know
der difference. Ve burn der books. Das is all. Ve get in by der bank
to-night, boys."

"I don't like id," said Joost. "Id's stealing from our freunds, Yacob.
Besides, if der oder heirs should go before der government mit der
story. Vat den?"

"Der oder heirs vill never get der chance, boys. Dey vill die mit der
plague--ha, ha! Sure! Dere von't be no oder heirs. Rasula says it must
be so. Ve can'd vait, boys. It vill be years before der business is
settled.