"Yes," said the boy, giving a bit of a writhe and rubbing his back softly, "that's where I went down, sure enough, and I believe I have got another thorn in there now. My word, how stiff my shoulder is! I shan't be in a hurry to fire two barrels of a rifle together again. Yes, I stood just there when I fired, just as the beast had reared himself up--itself, I suppose I ought to say, for I don't know whether it was a cock or a hen--but hallo, where are the ponies?" "Oh, Peter and Bob have taken them down to water, I suppose," said Dean. "That they haven't. There they are, over yonder." "Well, then, Buck Denham must have driven them over there with the bullocks to have a feed before we start." "Let's ask Dan. Here, cooky, where are the ponies?" "Dunno, sir. They were gone when I came to see to the fire. I expect Denham has taken them along with the bullocks." "Come on, Dean. Let's go and see how the little fellows look." The boys hurried amongst the trees to where Denham, the Hottentot and the foreloper were watching the grazing cattle, with the Illaka seated upon a fallen tree nursing his spear and looking on, while in the distance, each with his gun over his arm, they could see Sir James and the doctor, evidently making a circuit of the camp. "Ponies, gen'lemen?" said the big fellow. "No, I ain't seen them; I have been so busy over my bullocks. Somebody must have taken them down to the riverside to get a good feed a-piece of that strong reedy grass that they are so fond of. You will find them down there." "Come along," cried Mark, and the two boys hurried off in the direction of the river, threading their way amongst the trees till they caught sight of the running water sparkling in the rays of the morning sun. "There they are," cried Mark, "munching away and regularly enjoying themselves. Oh, you beauties! But hallo! Who's that chap watching them?" and he drew his cousin's attention to a tall, thin, peculiar looking fellow who was standing close to the water's edge watching the ponies as if to keep them from going farther along the stream. The man turned his head as he heard the boys approach, and then looked back at the ponies and drove one a short distance nearer the camp. "Hullo, you!" cried Mark sharply. "What are you doing here?" The man shrugged his shoulders, and made a comprehensive sign which included the four little animals. "Yes, I see that," said Mark, "but what do you want here?" The man shook his head sadly, and the boys saw that he was very yellow, as if dried in the sun, and had a particularly thin and peculiar face, with two long, pendant, yellowish moustachios which reached far beneath his chin. His beard was closely clipped, and they noted that he held a pair of small scissors, and as he drew back one of his twisted moustachios, he was occupied the while carefully snipping off the greyish stubble that just showed slightly upon his chin. "But how did you come here?" asked Mark.