Falkner's experience had so exactly corresponded with my own as to impress me. While I had been held up in this eerie and mysterious manner on one side of the pile of rocks, the same thing had happened to him on the other, and, so far as I could make out, at just about the same time. Well, we would see if anything of the sort should befall us presently when we passed the spot in the broad light of day. The while the two late combatants had been discussing the disappearance of Hensley. "Rum thing to happen," commented Falkner. "Ain't you rather--well, uncomfortable, at times, here, all alone?" "Not me. You see my theory is that the poor old boy went off his nut and quietly wandered away somewhere and got into some hole, if not into the river. Now I've no idea of going off my nut, so I don't feel in the least uncomfortable. In fact decidedly the reverse." "Well but--what of the niggers?" Kendrew let go a jolly laugh. "They're all right," he said. "Let's go and look at your gee, Glanton. Hope he's still lame, so you can't get on, then we'll all three have a jolly day of it." I, for one, knew we were destined to have nothing of the kind--not in the sense intended by Kendrew, that is--and I wanted to get home. Needless to say when my steed was led forth he walked with his usual elasticity, manifesting not the smallest sign of lameness. "That's dashed odd," commented Kendrew, after carefully examining the inside of every hoof and feeling each pastern. "Oh, well, he's sure to begin limping directly you start, so you'd better give him another day to make sure." But this I resisted, having my own reasons for making a start Falkner apparently had his too, for he was proof against the other's pressing invitation to remain and make a day of it. "Well after all, you might get to punching each other's heads again, and I not there to prevent it," I said, jocularly. "Good-bye, Kendrew." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Not half a bad chap that, after all," said Falkner, as we rode along together. "No. And if you'd wait to find that out before going for people you'd get along much better in these parts," I answered. And then I improved upon the occasion to read him a considerable lecture. To do him justice he took it very well. "Look," he broke in. "It must have been just the other side of this that I got stuck last night."