those　who　have　vision。　Well；　she　may　be　wrong。　Also；　the　question　is；
  shall　we　seize　our　opportunity　and　its　dangers；　or　remain　here　and
  breed　bad　horses　all　our　lives；　while　she　who　is　not　afraid　laughs　at
  us？　I　am　going　to　Bambatse。〃
  Again　Mr。　Clifford　made　no　direct　answer；　only　asked　a　question：
  〃How　long　will　it　take　to　get　the　guns　and　ammunition；　and　what　will
  they　cost？〃
  〃About　a　week　from　Wakkerstroom；〃　replied　Meyer。　〃Old　Potgieter；　the
  trader　there；　has　just　imported　a　hundred　Martinis　and　a　hundred
  Westley…Richards　falling…blocks。　Fifty　of　each；　with　ten　thousand
  rounds　of　cartridges；　will　cost　about　￡600；　and　we　have　as　much　as
  that　in　the　bank；　also　we　have　the　new　waggon；　and　plenty　of　good　oxen
  and　horses。　We　can　take　a　dozen　of　the　horses　with　us；　and　sell　them
  in　the　north　of　the　Transvaal　for　a　fine　price；　before　we　get　into　the
  tetsefly　belt。　The　oxen　will　probably　carry　us　through；　as　they　are
  most　of　them　salted。〃
  〃You　have　thought　it　all　out；　Jacob；　I　see；　but　it　means　a　lot　of
  money　one　way　and　another；　to　say　nothing　of　other　things。〃
  〃Yes；　a　lot　of　money；　and　those　rifles　are　too　good　for　Kaffirs。
  Birmingham　gas…pipes　would　have　done　for　them；　but　there　are　none　to
  be　had。　But　what　is　the　money；　and　what　are　the　guns；　compared　to　all
  they　will　bring　us？〃
  〃I　think　you　had　better　ask　my　daughter；　Jacob。　She　seems　to　have　her
  own　ideas　upon　the　subject。〃
  〃Miss　Clifford　has　made　up　her　mind；　and　it　will　not　change。　I　shall
  ask　her　no　more；〃　replied　Meyer。
  Then　he；　too；　left　the　room；　to　give　orders　about　the　journey　to
  Wakkerstroom　that　he　must　take　upon　the　morrow。　But　Mr。　Clifford　sat
  there　till　past　midnight；　wondering　whether　he　had　done　right；　and　if
  they　would　find　the　treasure　of　which　he　had　dreamed　for　years；　and
  what　the　future　had　in　store　for　them。
  If　only　he　could　have　seen！
  When　Benita　came　to　breakfast　the　next　morning；　she　asked　where　Mr。
  Meyer　was；　and　learned　that　he　had　already　departed　for　Wakkerstroom。
  〃Certainly　he　is　in　earnest；〃　she　said　with　a　laugh。
  〃Yes；〃　answered　her　father；　〃Jacob　is　always　in　earnest；　though；
  somehow；　his　earnestness　has　not　brought　him　much　good　so　far。　If　we
  fail；　it　will　not　be　want　of　thought　and　preparation　on　his　part。〃
  Nearly　a　week　went　by　before　Meyer　returned　again；　and　meanwhile
  Benita　made　ready　for　her　journey。　In　the　intervals　of　her　simple
  preparations　also　she　talked　a　good　deal；　with　the　help　of　her　father；
  to　the　three　sturdy…looking　Makalanga；　who　were　resting　thankfully
  after　their　long　journey。　Their　conversation　was　general；　since　by
  tacit　consent　no　further　mention　was　made　of　the　treasure　or　of
  anything　to　do　with　it；　but　it　enabled　her　to　form　a　fair　opinion　of
  them　and　their　people。　She　gathered　that　although　they　spoke　a　dialect
  of　Zulu；　they　had　none　of　the　bravery　of　the　Zulus；　and　indeed　lived
  in　deadly　terror　of　the　Matabele；　who　are　bastard　Zulussuch　terror；
  in　fact；　that　she　greatly　doubted　whether　the　hundred　rifles　would　be
  of　much　use　to　them；　should　they　ever　be　attacked　by　that　tribe。
  They　were　what　their　fathers　had　been　before　them；　agriculturists　and
  workers　in　metalsnot　fighting　men。　Also　she　set　herself　to　learn
  what　she　could　of　their　tongue；　which　she　did　not　find　difficult；　for
  Benita　had　a　natural　aptitude　for　languages；　and　had　never　forgotten
  the　Dutch　and　Zulu　she　used　to　prattle　as　a　child；　which　now　came　back
  to　her　very　fast。　Indeed；　she　could　already　talk　fairly　in　either　of
  those　languages；　especially　as　she　spent　her　spare　hours　in　studying
  their　grammar；　and　reading　them。
  So　the　days　went　on；　till　one　evening　Jacob　Meyer　appeared　with　two
  Scotch　carts　laden　with　ten　long　boxes　that　looked　like　coffins；　and
  other　smaller　boxes　which　were　very　heavy；　to　say　nothing　of　a
  multitude　of　stores。　As　Mr。　Clifford　prophesied；　he　had　forgotten
  nothing；　for　he　even　brought　Benita　various　articles　of　clothing；　and
  a　revolver　for　which　she　had　not　asked。
  Three　days　later　they　trekked　away　from　Rooi　Krantz　upon　a　peculiarly
  beautiful　Sunday　morning　in　the　early　spring；　giving　it　out　that　they
  were　going　upon　a　trading　and　shooting　expedition　in　the　north　of　the
  Transvaal。　Benita　looked　back　at　the　pretty　little　stead　and　the
  wooded　kloof　behind　it　over　which　she　had　nearly　fallen；　and　the
  placid　lake　in　front　of　it　where　the　nesting　wildfowl　wheeled；　and
  sighed。　For　to　her；　now　that　she　was　leaving　it；　the　place　seemed　like
  home；　and　it　came　into　her　mind　that　she　would　never　see　it　any　more。
  VIII
  BAMBATSE
  Nearly　four　months　had　gone　by　when　at　length　the　waggon　with　which
  were　Mr。　Clifford；　Benita；　and　Jacob　Meyer　camped　one　night　within　the
  country　of　the　Molimo　of　Bambatse；　whose　name　was　Mambo。　Or　perhaps
  that　was　his　title；　since　（according　to　Tamas　his　son）　every　chief　in
  succession　was　called　Mambo；　though　not　all　of　them　were　Molimos；　or
  representatives　and　prophets　of　God；　or　the　Great　Spirit　whom　they
  knew　as　Munwali。　Thus　sometimes　the　Molimo；　or　priest　of　Munwali；　and
  the　Mambo　or　chief　were　different　persons。　For　instance；　he　said　that
  he；　Tamas；　would　be　Mambo　on　his　father's　death；　but　no　visions　were
  given　to　him；　therefore　as　yet；　at　any　rate；　he　was　not　called　to　be
  Molimo。
  In　the　course　of　this　long　journey　they　had　met　with　many　adventures；
  such　as　were　common　to　African　travellers　before　the　days　of
  railroads；　adventures　with　wild　beasts　and　native　tribes；　adventures
  with　swollen　rivers　also；　and　one　that　was　worst；　with　thirst；　since
  for　three　days　（owing　to　the　failure　of　a　pit　or　pan；　where　they
  expected　to　find　water）　they　were　obliged　to　go　without　drink。　Still；
  none　of　these　were　very　serious；　nor　had　any　of　the　three　of　them　ever
  been　in　better　health　than　they　were　at　this　moment；　for　by　good　luck
  they　had　escaped　all　fever。　Indeed；　their　rough；　wild　life　had　agreed
  with　Benita　extraordinarily　well；　so　well　that　any　who　had　known　her
  in　the　streets　of　London　would　scarcely　have　recognized　her　as　the
  sunburnt；　active　and　well…formed　young　woman　who　sat　that　night　by　the
  camp　fire。
  All　the　horses　they　had　brought　with　them　had　been　sold；　except　some
  which　had　died；　and　three　that　were　〃salted；〃　or　proof　against　the
  deadly　horse　sickness；　which　they　took　on　with　them。　Their　own
  servants　also　had　been　sent　back　to　Rooi　Krantz　in　charge　of　a　Scotch
  cart　laden　with　ivory；　purchased　from　Boer　hunters　who　had　brought　it
  down　from　the　north　of　the　Transvaal。　Therefore；　for　this　was　part　of
  the　bargain；　the　three　Makalanga　were　now　their　only　attendants　who
  drove　and　herded　the　cattle；　while　Benita　cooked　the　food　which　the
  two　white　men　shot；　or　sometimes　bought　from　natives。
  For　days　they　had　been　passing　through　a　country　that　was　practically
  deserted；　and　now；　having　crossed　a　high　nek；　the　same　on　which　Robert
  Seymour　had　left　his　waggon；　they　were　camped　in　low　land　which；　as
  they　could　see　by　the　remains　of　walls　that　appeared　everywhere；　had
  once　been　extensively　enclosed　and　cultivated。　To　their　right　was　a
  rising　mountainous　ground；　beyond　which；　said　the　Makalanga；　ran　the
  Zambesi；　and　in　front　of　them；　not　more　than　ten　miles　away；　a　great
  isolated　hill；　none　other　than　that　place　that　they　had　journeyed　so
  far　to　reach；　Bambatse；　round　which　flowed　the　great　river。　Indeed；
  thither　one　of　the　three　Makalanga；　he　who　was　named　Hoba；　had　gone　on
  to　announce　their　approach。
  They　had　outspanned　amongst　ruins；　most　of　them　circular　in　shape；　and
  Benita；　studying　them　in　the　bright　moonlight；　guessed　that　once　these
  had　been　houses。　That　place　now　so　solitary；　hundreds　or　thousands　of
  years　ago　was　undoubtedly　the　home　of　a　great　population。　Thousands；
  rather　than　hundreds；　she　thought；　since　close　at　hand　in　the　middle
  of　one　of　these　round　houses；　grew　a　mighty　baobab　tree；　that　could
  not　have　seen　less　than　ten　or　fifteen　centuries　since　the　seed　whence
  it　sprang　pierced　the　cement　floor　which　was　still　visible　about　its
  giant　bole。
  Tamas；　the　Molimo's　son；　saw　her　studying　these　evidences　of
  antiquity；　and；　approaching；　saluted　her。
  〃Lady；〃　he　said　in　his　own　language；　which　by　now　she　spoke　very　well；
  〃lady〃and　he　waved　his　hand　with　a　fine　gesture〃behold　the　city　of
  my　people。〃
  〃How　do　you　know　that　it　was　their　city？〃　she　asked。
  〃I　do　not　know；　lady。　Stones　cannot　speak；　the　spirits　are　silent；　and
  we　have　forgotten。　Still；　I　think　so；　and　our　fathers　have　told　us
  that　but　six　or　eight　generations　ago　many　folk　lived　here；　though　it
  was　not　they　who　built　these　walls。　Even　fifty　years　ago　there　were
  many；　but　now　the　Matabele　have　killed　them；　and　we　are　few；　to…morrow
  you　will　see　how　few。　Come　here　and　look；〃　and　he　led　her　through　the
  entrance　of　a　square　cattle　kraal　which　stood　close　by。　Within　were
  tufts　of　rank　grass；　and　a　few　bushes；　and　among　these　sco