Pawing and snorting at the noise, he suddenly slewed round and headed down the steep bank, through the undergrowth, straight for the crowd as he had been wont to do after many a mob of weaners on his native plains.

The blacks drew hurriedly back to the top of the opposite bank, shouting and gesticulating violently, and leaving one solitary figure apparently covered with some scarecrow rags and part of a hat prominently alone in the sand.

Before I could pull up I had passed it, and as I passed it tottered, threw up its hands in the attitude of prayer and fell on the sand.

The heavy sand helped me to conquer Piggy on the level, and when I turned back, the figure had partially risen.
"Hastily dismounting, I was soon beside it, excitedly asking: 'Who in the name of wonder are you ?' He answered, 'I am King, sir.' For the moment I did not grasp the thought that the object of our search was attained, for King being only one of the undistinguished members of the party, his name was unfamiliar to me.
"'King,' I repeated.

'Yes,' he said; 'the last man of the exploring expedition.' 'What! Burke's ?' 'Yes,' he said.