struck Wyvern, who had stopped, and after looking in
front was now gazing upwards in most unfeigned amazement.

"Where the devil indeed," he echoed. "Look, Le Sage. There's the hole
he made in the green stuff tumbling through. Prickly pear leaves too,
broken off by the fall. But--where the devil is the chump himself? He
ought to be here, but isn't."

This was indisputable. The precipitous banks of the place were marked
and scored, and leaves and twigs, obviously freshly torn, still clung to
the said banks here and there. Some heavy body had manifestly fallen
down there at that spot, but of any such thing there was now no other
sign.

"Oh, look here, Wyvern. Haven't you been filling us up with some sick
old yarn?" said Le Sage disgustedly. "Why, man, there's no sign of any
dead nigger here. Sure your imagination didn't play you tricks?"

"Oh, very. No mistake about that--by the way weren't you saying just
now you could smell him?" good-humouredly. "What if some of his pals
came and carted him away?"

"Then there'd be spoor, and plenty of it. As it is there's none. And I
do know a little about spoor," added Le Sage significantly.

"Well it bangs me, I own," declared Wyvern. "But now we're here we'd
better follow the ditch right up. I don't feel like taking on that
nasty scramble again, do you?"

"No. Drive ahead then."

Proceeding with some caution, for it was just the place in which to come
upon a snake, they made their way gradually upward and soon stood within
the open light of day.

"Well, my imagination didn't play me tricks this shot," said Wyvern, as
they stood looking at the bones of the slaughtered sheep, picked clean
by aasvogels and jackals.

"No. There were two of them at this job. I can see that plainly
enough," said Le Sage, scrutinising the ground. "Well, we've had our
ride for nothing. The first essential towards holding an inquiry on a
dead nigger is for there to be a dead nigger to hold it on, and there
isn't one here."

"Well, I own it bangs me," said Wyvern, puzzled.

"So it does me," said Le Sage, significantly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note 1. The _geel slang_, anglice "yellow-snake," is a variety of
cobra, and takes first rank among the deadliest reptiles of South
Africa.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

A SCARE--AND A HOME CIRCLE.

"Well, Lalante. Wyvern's snake-bitten Kafir has not only killed
himself, but he has