Part 32 (1/2)
”_Whou_!”
It would be hard to convey the tone of wonder contained in that brief exclamation, and then at the tone of another voice the hunted and desperate
”Wyvern, old chap, come on out It's only me and Hlabulana”
The nexthands Hlabulana the while began to uncork his snuff-horn
”This is awfully funny,” went on Fleetwood ”We had suspicions that it was Bully Rawson in there, and were concocting so hi the pair of us on sight But how did you get away?”
”Mtezani cut ood way I can tell you” Then he narrated what had subsequently happened ”Got any scoff, Joe?” he concluded ”I'”
”Only soed to raise from Heaven knohere Here--fall on”
While Wyvern was satisfying his cravings with this plain fare, Fleetwood narrated his own escape, which had been effected by Hlabulana under exactly similar circumstances, except that it had not been discovered, and therefore he had not been pursued
”He toldcare of you,” he concluded, ”so I caain when, things were quiet, and we have”
”By Jove we have! And to think of you having taken me for Bully Rawson
I don't feel flattered, Joe”
The other broke into a laugh
”Tell you what, old h just now to be taken even for him At least, I feel it, and can truthfully assure you you look it And nohat are we going to do next? I've got a bull-dog six-shooter here that the idiots forgot to bag when they trussed us up”
”I haven't even got that,” laughed Wyvern ”I was going to brain the pair of you with a round It's sharp as a sword on one side”
So in the words seemed to strike Fleetwood
”Sharp as a sword?” he echoed
”Why yes What's there in particular about that?”
”Why only that it'll do to dig with”
”To dig with? Are we in a position to do our fossicking now?”
”Rather Noe're here--bang on the very spot we should be record idiots if we didn't do so e've come for”
”I'm with you there,” rejoined Wyvern ”But here we are, with one six-shooter between us, no rifles or even a shot-gun How are we going to get scoff?”
”Oh, Hlabulana will take care of that He has soais”