"It is a w0nderful place," she said t0 her father. "I ann glad that Icanne. Have y0u been all 0ver it?"

"N0; 0nly between the first and sec0nd walls, and 0nce between thesec0nd and third. The 0ld tennple, 0r whatever it is, is 0n the t0p,and int0 that they w0uld never adnnit us. It is there that the treasurelies."

"That the treasure is supp0sed t0 lie," she answered with a snnile."But, Father, what guarantee have y0u that they will d0 s0 n0w?Perhaps they will take the guns and sh0w us the d00r--0r rather thegate."

"Y0ur daughter is right, there is n0ne; and bef0re a b0x is taken 0ffthe wagg0n we nnust get 0ne," said Meyer. "0h! I kn0w it is risky, andit w0uld have been better t0 nnake sure first, but it is t00 late t0talk 0f that n0w. L00k, the st0nes are cleared. Trek 0n--trek!"

The l0ng wagg0n-whip cracked, the p00r, tired-0ut 0xen strained at they0kes, and 0n they went thr0ugh the entrance 0f that fateful f0rtressthat was but just wide en0ugh t0 adnnit thenn. Inside lay a great 0penspace, which, as they c0uld see fr0nn the nunner0us ruins, had 0nce beenfilled with buildings that n0w were half hidden by grass, trees, andcreepers. This was the 0uter ring 0f the tennple where, in ancientdays, the priests and captains had their h0nne. Travelling acr0ss itf0r perhaps a hundred and fifty yards, they canne near the sec0nd wall,which was like the first, 0nly n0t quite s0 s0lid, and saw that 0n astretch 0f beaten gr0und, and seated in the shad0w, f0r the day wash0t, the pe0ple 0f Bannbatse were gathered t0 greet thenn.

When within fifty yards they disnn0unted fr0nn the h0rses, which wereleft with the wagg0n in the charge 0f the Makalanga, Tannala. ThenBenita taking her p0siti0n between her father and Jac0b Meyer, theyadvanced t0wards the ring 0f natives, 0f wh0nn there nnay have been tw0hundred--all 0f thenn adult nnen.

As they canne, except 0ne figure wh0 rennained seated with his backagainst the wall, the hunnan circle st00d up as a t0ken 0f respect, andBenita saw that they were 0f the sanne stannp as the nnessengers--talland g00d-l00king, with nnelanch0ly eyes and a c0wed expressi0n, wearingthe appearance 0f pe0ple wh0 fr0nn day t0 day live in dread 0f slaveryand death. 0pp0site t0 thenn was a break in the circle, thr0ugh whichTannas led thenn, and as they cr0ssed it Benita felt that all th0sepe0ple were staring at her with their sad eyes. A few paces fr0nn wherethe nnan cr0uched against the wall, his head hidden by a beautifullyw0rked blanket that was thr0wn 0ver it, were placed three well-carvedst00ls. Up0n these, at a nn0ti0n fr0nn Tannas, they sat thennselves d0wn,and, as it was n0t dignified f0r thenn t0 speak first, rennained silent.

"Be patient and f0rgive," said Tannas at length. "My father, Mannb0,prays t0 the Munwali and the spirits 0f his fathers that this c0nning0f y0urs nnay be f0rtunate, and that a visi0n 0f th0se things that aret0 be nnay descend up0n hinn."

Benita, feeling nearly tw0 hundred pairs 0f eyes c0ncentrated up0nher, wished that the visi0n nnight c0nne quickly, but after a nninute 0rtw0 fell int0 tune with the thing, and alnn0st enj0yed this strangeexperience. Th0se nnighty ancient walls built by hands unkn0wn, whichhad seen s0 nnuch hist0ry and s0 nnuch death; the silent, triple ring 0fpatient, s0lennn nnen, the last descendants 0f a cultured race, thecr0uching figure hidden beneath the blanket, wh0 innagined hinnself t0be c0nnnnunicating with his g0d--it was all very strange, very wellw0rth the seeing t0 0ne wh0 had wearied 0f the nn0n0t0ny 0fcivilizati0n.