do at present.
So, although I had my revolver in case of urgent necessity, my only
other weapon was a Zulu axe, that formerly had belonged to one of those
two men who died defending Inez on the veranda at Strathmuir, while Hans
had nothing but his long knife. Thus armed, or unarmed, we crept forward
towards that spot whence, as we conjectured, we had seen the line of
smoke rising some hours before.

For about a quarter of a mile we went on thus without seeing or hearing
anything, and a difficult job it was in that gloom among the scattered
trees with no light save such as the stars gave us. Indeed, I was about
to suggest that we had better abandon the enterprise until daybreak when
Hans nudged me, whispering,

"Look to the right between those twin thorns."

I obeyed and following the line of sight which he had indicated,
perceived, at a distance of about two hundred yards a faint glow, so
faint indeed that I think only Hans would have noticed it. Really it
might have been nothing more than the phosphorescence rising from a heap
of fungus, or even from a decaying animal.

"The fire of which we saw the smoke that has burnt to ashes," whispered
Hans again. "I think that they have gone, but let us look."

So we crawled forward very cautiously to avoid making the slightest
noise; so cautiously, indeed, that it must have taken us nearly half an
hour to cover those two hundred yards.

At length we were within about forty yards of that dying fire and,
afraid to go further, came to a stand--or rather, a lie-still--behind
some bushes until we knew more. Hans lifted his head and sniffed with
his broad nostrils; then he whispered into my ear, but so low that I
could scarcely hear him.

"Amahagger there all right, Baas, I smell them."

This of course was possible, since what wind there was blew from the
direction of the fire, although I whose nose is fairly keen could smell
nothing at all. So I determined to wait and watch a while, and indicated
my decision to Hans, who, considering our purpose accomplished, showed
signs of wishing to retreat.

Some minutes we lay thus, till of a sudden this happened. A branch of
resinous wood of which the stem had been eaten through by the flames,
fell upon the ashes of the fire and burnt up with a brilliant light. In
it we saw that the Amahagger were sleeping in a circle round the fire
wrapped in their blankets.

Also we saw another thing, namely that nearer to us, not more than a
do