De Costa looked at it and then threw it into a bag which lay at his side.
"Yes," said he, "it is worth about five hundred pounds. But I was about to ask you if you remember the night when you saved me from the whip?"
"I remember quite well," said Max.
"Do you know why he thrashed me? I was about to tell Crouch of the rubies and the slaves, and Cæsar guessed it, and used the whip. Then you came in, and Gyp flew at you. I am grateful for what you did."
De Costa sat cross-legged on the ground, with his eyes fixed upon the river. The slaves saw nothing as they worked; long since their senses had been numbed. Cæsar was engrossed in his business at the quarry; the Arabs, with their loaded rifles in their hands, never moved their eyes from the slaves. Max was the only one who looked about him.
His eyes were fixed upon the granite hills across the river, to the east of the gorge. The sky-line was rugged, by reason of the great boulders that lay upon the crest. Two of these were close together, and from that position they bore a striking resemblance to two faces in profile--that of an old man and a woman. As Max looked, the resemblance became more lifelike. And then something dark passed from behind one boulder to the next. It had been visible for no longer than an instant, but in that instant Max recognized M'Wané.
He thought the matter out. If M'Wané was there, Crouch and Edward were not far behind. He knew that they would see him through their glasses. He continued with his work. It was above all necessary that Cæsar's suspicions should not be aroused.
In life things sometimes so happen that it is evident our fate is not always in the hands of ourselves. There is a Divine Providence that watches over us and is Master of the human will. Max had no sooner decided to remain as servile and obedient as the most broken-hearted negro in Makanda, when he was called upon to act.
The man next him, who early in the morning had complained of feeling ill, now lay down upon the ground and uttered a groan. The Arab approached and told him to get up. The poor fellow was not able to do so, and though he tried his best he fell back again, saying that he suffered the most violent pains.
At that, Cæsar drew near, whip in hand, and demanded to know what was the matter. When he saw that here was another case of cholera, he flew into a passion. He had no pity for the man. He merely regretted the incident as a disaster, inasmuch as he had lost another workman. He ordered the Arab to unlock the iron collar around the slave's neck, and then he raised his whip.