ou," answered Dick. "And now,
behold, our work here is done; give us therefore a guide to the place of
red stones, and send the diggers after us that we may be gone, for, as
you have said, our journey is long, and we must hasten."

"It shall be even as ye have said," agreed the king. "When desire ye to
leave me?"

"As soon as ye shall be able to provide us with a guide," answered Dick.

"Then that is even now," answered Lobelalatutu. "I grieve that ye are
leaving me; but since I cannot persuade you to stay, I say: `Go in
peace, and may the Spirits watch over you that your journey be
prosperous. The Place of Red Stones is distant one day's ox trek from
here, therefore send forward your wagon at once with the guide whom I
will give you, and ye shall follow on your horses. I know not whether
we shall meet again, O Healer of Sickness and Mighty Hunter! but if ye
return, the whole Makolo nation shall give you welcome. Farewell!'"

An hour later Dick and Grosvenor, having dispatched the wagon on ahead,
and then gone round to bid farewell to the various chiefs, swung
themselves into the saddle and, turning their backs regretfully upon the
village and the ruins of Ophir, cantered off upon two magnificent horses
which the king had, at the last moment, added to his gift of oxen. The
animals were superb specimens of their kind, jet black without a white
hair upon them, standing about fifteen-two in height, perfectly shaped,
with fine, clean, sinewy legs not too long, splendid shoulders and
haunches, skins like satin, perfect in temper, courageous as lions,
speedy, easy-paced. They jumped like cats, and were tough as whipcord,
as they found to their great satisfaction before many days were past;
they were, in fact, perfect specimens of the exceptionally fine breed of
horses peculiar to the Makolo country. Mounted on these magnificent
animals, which seemed to carry them absolutely without effort, although
neither of them was a light weight, the two riders soon overtook the
slow-moving wagon, and then, carefully noting the instructions of the
guide who was piloting the vehicle, passed on toward the sea that
gleamed softly in the extreme distance.

A quiet, steady canter of some three hours' duration, which left their
new mounts apparently as fresh as they had been at the start, brought
the horsemen out upon a long stretch of sandy beach upon which the swell
of the Indian Ocean broke in long lines of diamond spray, with a