"Now," said the doctor, "how do you feel?" "As if my face would be scorched if I stopped here." "Nothing more?" "Oh, yes," said Mark; "I feel quite a cool wind blowing into my neck." "Exactly," said the doctor. "As the heated air rises from the fire the cool air from the veldt rushes in to take its place. Why, don't you remember when the haystack was on fire at the farm at home how we went to see it, walked close up, and felt the cold wind rushing towards the flames so that you had a stiff neck the next day?" "Of course! I had forgotten that," said Mark, laughing. "Well, we must put up with the fire, I suppose." The watch was set that night, and fell to the lot of Sir James, who took up his post near the fire, rifle in hand, while every man lay down with his piece by his side, for three times by sounds much nearer, the animals were made uneasy. The bullocks couched close to the trek-tow and the ponies stamped restlessly again and again from where they were haltered to one of the wheels inside the enclosure and close up to the granite wall. But in one case a deep growl from Buck Denham seemed to comfort the great sleek beasts, and a word or two in his highly pitched voice from Dunn Brown turned the ponies' stamping into a gentle whinny. At last the only sounds within the walls of the kraal were the low whispering of the two boys. "How far is it to black Mak's big stones, do you think?" said Mark. "Eh?" was the reply. "You heard what I said." "That I didn't!" "Then you were asleep. I thought you were." "Nonsense!" said Dean indignantly. "I had only just lain down. What was it you said?" Mark laughed, to his cousin's great annoyance. "I said, How far is it to black Mak's big stones?" "A whole day's journey." "Nonsense! Why, this evening they looked quite near." "Yes, but the doctor said that was the refraction." "Well, I hope it will refract some of the gold when we get there," said Mark. "I want to see what the place is like." "We don't want the gold," said Dean. "Yes, we do. We should like to get some of it as curiosities. But oh, I say, doesn't it seem like all pother about what the doctor said? There's none of the cool air from the veldt coming in here under the waggon tilt." Dean made no reply. "I shall never go to sleep in here like this. My hair's getting quite wet. Isn't yours?" _Burrrr_! "I say, Dean, don't be so horribly wide awake. I can't go to sleep if you are. Can you?" "Eh?" "Feel sleepy?" said Mark mockingly. "That I wasn't. I wish you wouldn't be so fond of trying to make jokes when we come to bed." "Well, you can do as you like," said Mark, laughing, "but I'm going to lie with my head outside in the air." "Eh? Yes, it is hot," said Dean, turning over. "I say, what are you doing?" "Getting up." "What for? Can't be morning yet."