of that rod hit something else
besides them bits of stone, Mas'r Harry. Try again; or, no--let me
try."

The disappointment was so keen, that for a few moments I was speechless,
and offered no opposition to Tom, who began to grope about with both
hands to bring up dozens more pieces of the micaceous rock, and then a
piece of flint that seemed to have been chipped into shape, and then a
long obsidian blade.

"We're a-coming to something after all, Mas'r Harry," said Tom. "Here's
a cur'osity, and here--here--here's--pah! I don't like handling them."

As he spoke, Tom held out to my view three or four blackened bones,
which he threw down again amongst the sand and water at the bottom.

"We shall come to the leaden coffin after all, Mas'r Harry," he said.
"This has been a berryin' place after a fight, p'r'aps; but is it worth
while to disturb it?"

I did not answer, for my attention had been taken up by a slight sound
towards the interior of the cave.

"Here, quick, Tom!" I exclaimed.

He leaped out in an instant, just as, with a fierce rush, the pent-up
water conquered our little dam, took to its old bed, and swept down sand
and soil, filling up our pit in a few minutes as it bore all before it,
and then subsided quietly into its former course, the sand sucking up
the moisture where it had levelled; and to a casual observer the cave
seemed as if it had been untouched for ages.

"Well that's pleasant, certainly," said Tom coolly; "but 'taint so bad
as it might have been. We haven't got wet. Never mind, Mas'r Harry,
we'll have it out again by-and-by. There's more in that hole yet than
we have seen. Them bits of yaller stuff weren't put in for nothing.
But let's go up again to the prog and have a good feed before we begin
again; and, suppose you bring your spade?"

I followed Tom mechanically, spade in hand, to where, behind a mass of
rock, we had made our storehouse, and seating ourselves in the gloomy
shade I was busily opening my wallet, when Tom, who was getting some
maize for the mules, suddenly pressed my shoulder and pointing in the
direction of the cave's mouth, I heard him whisper the one word:

"Look!"

I looked, with my eyes seeming to be glued to the spot, as slowly there
appeared above the rugged line formed by the top of the rocky barrier a
human head, another, and another, with intervals of a dozen yards
between each; and then they remained motionless, gazing straight forward
into the gre