Dead Man S Land Being The Voyage To Zimbambangwe Of Certain And

"A horrible experience," said Sir James, shaking his head. "I don't care how brave a man may be; there are times when he completely loses his nerve. It is very plain that that w...

The kopjes with their supposed buildings proved to be farther away than was expected, and a halt was made at night at the first of the outlying piles of tree overgrown stones, w...

"Now, look here," said Sir James, "we have talked all this matter over quite enough, and it is high time that we started in a business-like way, so as to avoid all confusion."

The party were seated in their shelter close under the highest wall of the ancient ruins, well screened from the ardent rays of the tropic sun, which had not yet risen sufficien...

A few nights later Mark, who had just finished his portion of the nightly watch, called up Dan and made his report that all had gone well till about an hour before, when he fanc...

"No, gen'lemen," said Buck, in reply to a question; "I have had four long trips with hunting parties, and know a good deal of the country, but this is all new to me. Mak profess...

It was not a feather-bed; there was neither bolster nor pillow; and a single blanket laid across three sacks of Indian corn did not counteract the hard nubbly feeling. But a cou...

The idea of travelling was not allowed to cool. A few days passed, during which the project was discussed, and one morning during breakfast the baronet broke out with, "I don't...

"I know what I shall do," said Dean, as they prepared for their morning start, during which he had been thoughtfully watching the helpful way in which their new attendant loaded...

"Seems like it, my lad," was the reply, and the doctor opened the breech of the piece to slip in a fresh cartridge. "But I only had a glance, and--"

"See to it at once, then, Dan," said the doctor. "Tell some of the men to get you some wood, and I will talk to the bullock drivers. Oh, there are the two keepers. They will hel...

In the clearing away of the abundant growth and selecting a position for their camp, a great stretch of wall was laid bare, one portion of which displayed the chequered pattern...

Mark Roche turned cold--not the cold of contact with ice, but what may be termed in contradistinction to muscular cold, a mental freezing of the nerves with horror. For how long...

Sir James turned back with the doctor, and soon after the boys were intently examining the drove of nearly fifty beautiful, sleek, well-bred oxen in their kraal, where they were...

"I don't know much about these things," said Sir James, examining the big flake carefully, "but I didn't think that it was possible to find gold in cement. If it had been quartz...

It was one morning when Mark lay fairly collected and able to talk, and the first objects his eyes lit upon were the two blacks seated together busy crushing up some succulent l...

Dean Roche started in his excitement, for as his cousin spoke he saw that Mak, who had been waiting near, stood pointing with his spear at the little party of pigmies who were w...

"It's enough to make one. I just put my eyes half to, because there's no shade, and you begin at me directly because once or twice I wouldn't keep awake to listen to your prosin...

For the night set in dark--a night which would have been of intense blackness but for the brilliant points of light that shone down like effulgent jewels spread upon a sky of th...

The barracks of Illakaree did not form an attractive object in the lovely landscape surrounded by hills, in and out amongst which the Reptile River ran, for a building hastily r...

"Compasses are fine things," said Mark. "See, here we are with that little needle ready to spin one way or the other till it stands still without being shaken, and here it shows...

"Pete, Pete, Peter!" said the black, in a high state of excitement, and he pointed with his broken spear in the opposite direction to that which the lions seemed to have taken.

"Hillo!" cried Mark, from where he and his cousin were seated cross-legged like tailors, in the shade of one of the walls, repairing damages, as they called it--that is to say,...

Morning again, after a long sleep, and the rest and the feeling of confidence that had come like an inspiration enabled Mark to partake of some of the rough food brought to them...

But they might have had fresh venison steaks for breakfast that morning instead of the "buck bones stooed," as Dan called his dish, or rather, tin, for as the party took their s...

It had been a long slow journey, but every day as they ascended, the weather, though hot, was tempered by crisp breezes which the doctor declared to be a joy to breathe.

"Because the niggers run away as soon as they saw it, sir," said Dan. "Look at them up yonder;" and he pointed to where the two blacks were perched on the top of the wall. "They...

The long, weary-looking fellow came up, looked sadly from one to the other, nodding to his companions shortly, and then, turning to the boys, "Very sorry, gentlemen," he said sl...

"A mussy me, Mr Mark, sir, as my old mother used to say. Ah, and she would say it again, poor old soul, if she were alive--bless her--and could see her pretty little curly-heade...

But it was not all over. When sense and feeling began to resume their seats, Mark was lying in the forest shade, dimly conscious that the sun's rays were striking horizontally t...

"How did I manage to come to your help?" cried Captain Lawton, as he stood with his fellow countrymen in a group; and when his men had ceased raising the echoes again and again...

"No," cried Dean, taking up his cousin's tone. "You might have been sure, Dan, that as soon as we had gone the poor old fellow would have crawled right in as far as he could go."

Feeling half stunned, Mark rolled over and over, holding on to his piece the while, and struggled to his feet from amongst the bushes in which he had involuntarily sought refuge...

The "something else" the cousins looked across was one of the pigmies-- evidently a chief of higher rank than the little leader they had last seen, though he seemed to be less i...

"Oh, never mind what I said, boy, but get them out as soon as you can; a straw hat, as the doctor has just been saying, is no protection here; is it, doctor?"

The words were unnecessary, for the advancing men, stunned as it were by the catastrophe, stood fast, rifle to shoulder, not daring to draw trigger for fear of injuring the lion...

"It's of no use; I can't go to sleep," said Mark to himself, as he lay gazing out through the end of the waggon at the black darkness of the night.

"Come, I call this good luck," cried the big driver, as, following the black foreloper and with the Hottentot behind, the long line of bullocks two and two came placidly into si...

In utter weariness the two boys now stood their guns up against the nearest trees and let themselves sink together upon the thin bed of moist leaves that had not been eaten up,...

The two boys hurried off in the direction taken by the blacks, hastening through the ruins in the full expectation of coming upon them at any moment, till the mazy wilderness of...

"To be sure I have. How could I help it, sir? I came in tired, and thought I would have a nap in my own chair till it was time to change for dinner, and you woke me up out of a...

It was the day following their being made prisoners--the party of four, Mak and the pigmy having seemed to melt away amongst the trees at the first onset of the Illakas and not...

"I tell you what I think," he said, at last. "I am afraid that it may cause us great trouble--the great trouble of a visit from a hostile party of neighbouring savages."

Dean's jaw fell, and he stood staring after the strange visitor with so vacant an expression of countenance that in spite of his annoyance Mark burst into a hearty laugh.

A short time after Mark caught sight of the doctor approaching, grasped the sign he gave him, sprang up, and went to the waggon for his rifle, which he carefully loaded, and the...