“How? I’ll tell you how it might be done if he had got them. Find out where his wagon is in the laager, and then wait till the sentry’s asleep, and crawl out of this thing, and nobble the lot.”
“Rubbish!”
“Not it! We could get them easily enough and bring them back here. Nobody would suspect us! But there would be no getting them away! I say, are you asleep again?”
“No,” said West quietly. “What’s the matter with you? Are you talking in your sleep? I was afraid to come in, thinking someone was with—”
He got no farther, for Ingleborough clapped a hand over his mouth and continued.
“Heigho! What bosh one does talk! I wish there wasn’t a blessed diamond in the world!”
He removed his hand, and feeling that there was some reason for all this, West said quietly: “Why?”
“Why? See what a lot of trouble they cause! This fighting is as much about the diamond-fields as anything, and— Hullo! how you startled me?”
It was quite true: he was horribly startled, feeling that their plan was spoiled, for there was a faint sound at the end of the wagon and the door of a lantern was suddenly opened, throwing the light within, and giving the prisoners a glance of the sentry’s and Anson’s faces looking in.
“All right?” said the sentry, in his own tongue.