To the great surprise of the boys the two blacks dashed at them, caught them by the wrist, drew them close up to the heap, and tried to bend them down so that they might draw away the loose rubbish. "Oh, no, you don't," said Mark merrily, snatching away his wrist. "I am not going to have my hand used as a trowel to save yours, you lazy beggar. Here, Dean, get hold of Pig and do as I do. Let's give them an object lesson." The little fellow smiled with pleasure as Dean caught him by the wrist, and then the two boys, to use Mark's expressions, proceeded to use the black palms and digits as trowels; but the smiles of both blacks changed to angry frowns. They snatched their hands away and backed off from the heap, Mak shaking his head fiercely. "Well, that's cool," said Mark. "Here, come back;" and he pointed to the heap and stamped his foot. "We are not going to do the dirty work and let you keep your hands clean, my fine fellows. Come--dig out-- gun!" Mak shook his head angrily and imitated Mark's action of stamping his foot and pointing to the heap. "Dig--out--gun," he said, imitated the while by the pigmy, who repeated the words "Dig--dig" to Dean. "No--no--you two!" cried Mark. "No--no--you two!" cried Mak; and he pointed again at the heap, running close up to it and pointing to where some parched up fern leaves had been scattered about. He only stayed there a moment, and then darted away, to stand with his little companion, shaking his head and chattering away as he energetically kept on signing to the boys to act, and shouting. "Gun! Gun!" "All right, gentlemen; never mind," said Buck good-humouredly. "These niggers are mighty particular about doing just what work they like and no more. Me and my mate will soon fish the gun out if it's there. They seem to think that as they have found the place where it's buried their job's done." "No," said Dunn dismally. "What do you know about it?" growled Buck. "Been here five years," said the man sadly, quite in a tone which seemed to suggest that he wished he had never seen the place. "Won't go because they know people have been buried there. It's where you dug out the bones." "Ah!" said the doctor. "Yes, that must be it. These people fear the dead more than they do the living." "Oh, that's it!" cried Mark. "Don't you remember how they wouldn't go near after we had found the bones?" "No, no, Buck--Dunn; we'll do it, and show them how cowardly they are." The two men drew back, and while the blacks shifted a little further away and close together watched, with their faces drawn with horror, the boys bent down and tore away the dead fronds of the fern. "Here, it's all right," cried Dean. "Hooray, Mark! Here's your gun. Why, they've only buried the stock and half the barrels." For there, lightly covered with stones and sand, were the barrels of the missing gun, fully six inches quite exposed. "Here, let me come," cried Mark.