"There's a specimen of the ore, and I'll be bound to say there's tons of it to be found." "Humph!" said the Sergeant, examining the piece of stone; "p'r'aps them bits o' threads and them scrappy bits may be gold; but if you broke that up and melted it, the gold you'd get would be such a tiny bead that it wouldn't be worth taking away." "Perhaps not," said Denham, giving me a look; "but there'd be a good-sized bead out of a ton.

The ancient miners didn't work for nothing, I'll be bound.

But come along; we've found what we were looking for, and--" He stopped short, for just then a shot was fired, which made us start on our return along the narrow passage.
"Mind the hole," I shouted to Denham, who was first.
"Jingo!" he cried, "I'd forgotten it;" and he made a bound which took him clear, proving that I had spoken just in time.
Before we were out into the wider passage open to the sky, three or four more shots rang out, followed by a volley, and then there was a cheer.
"Ahoy, there!" cried Denham, hailing the men on the top of the outer wall.

"What is it--enemy come on ?" "Eh?
Oh, it's you, sir," cried one of our troopers, looking down.
"Yes, and no.

Enemy, but not the Boers." "What do you mean ?" cried Denham sharply.
"Troop of those baboons got together and making a rush, barking like a pack of dogs, at our fellows out yonder among the rocks.