alone. When he reached the drift, he said, Rooiland 

 was standing breast-high in the river, and then in a 

 moment, whether by step or slip, he was into the flood 

 and swept away. The leader's account was received 

 by the others in absolute silence : a little tightening 

 of the jaws and a little brightening of the eyes, perhaps, 

 were all I could detect. They were saturated with 

 superstition, and as pagan fatalists they accepted the 

 position without a word. I suggested to Jim that it 

 was nothing but a return of Rooiland's old straying 

 habit, and probed him with questions, but could get 

 nothing out of him ; finally he walked off with an 

 expressive shake of the head and the repetition of his 

 former remark, without a shade of triumph, surprise, 

 or excitement in his voice : " He is looking for the 

 dead ones ! " 



We were out of the fly then, and the next day we 

 reached Fig Tree. 



That was the end of the last trek. Only three oxen 

 reached Barberton, and they died within the week : 

 the ruin was complete. 



