ack," she said. "I wouldn't lose that coin for anything.
You know, Mr Glanton, I have a superstition about it."

She went on to explain that she had it at the time we had seen the
disturbance in the waterhole so that it must have come off on the way
down, even if not actually while we were on the rocks up there. Of
course I offered to go back and find it for her, but she would not hear
of it. She must go herself, and equally of course I couldn't let her go
alone. Would I if I could? Well, my only fear was that Falkner would
offer his escort. But he did not, only suggesting that as it was late
it was not worth while bothering about the thing to-night. He would be
sure to find it in the morning when he came up with a rifle to try and
investigate the mystery of the pool. But she would not hear of this.
She insisted on going back, and--I was jubilant.

I knew the coin well by sight. It was of heavy unalloyed gold, thickly
stamped with an inscription in Arabic characters. But, as we took our
way along the bush path, expecting every moment to catch the gleam of it
amid the dust and stones, nothing of the sort rewarded our search, and
finally we came to the rocks at the head of the pool.

"This is extraordinary and more than disappointing," she said, as a
hurried glance around showed no sign of the missing coin. "I know I had
it on here because I was fingering it while we were looking at the
water. I wouldn't have lost it for anything. What can have become of
it, Mr Glanton? Do you think it can have fallen into the water?"

"That, of course, isn't impossible," I said. "But--let's have another
search."

I was bending down with a view to commencing this, when a cry from Aida
arrested me.

"Oh, there it is. Look."

She was standing on the brink of the rocks where they were at their
highest above water, peering over. Quickly I was at her side, and
following her glance could make out something that glittered. It was in
a crevice about five feet below, but as for being able to make it out
for certain, why we could not. The crevice was narrow and dark.

"I think I can get at that," I said, having taken in the potentialities
of hand and foothold.

"No--no," she answered. "I won't have it. What if you were to fall
into the water--after what we have just seen? No. Leave it till
to-morrow, and bring a rope."

This was absolutely sound sense, but I'll own to a sort of swagger,
show-off, inclination comin