“I could see the figure of a man for a moment just against the sky, sir.”
“But mightn’t that have been one of the apes reared up for the time?”
“Oh no, sir,” said the sentry. “I shouldn’t mistake a monkey for a man; and besides, they don’t wear boots.”
“Ah! and do you say these people who came near you wore boots?”
“Well, it sounded like it, sir, for when I fired I could hear the leather squeak.”
“Humph!” grunted Captain Roby; and Dickenson, who was full now of his adventure in what seemed to have been near the same place, spoke out:
“I think there’s something in what he says:” and he related his own experience. “At the time, I was so occupied in getting back for something to eat that I forgot all about the matter after dinner. But now this has occurred I begin to feel that the chirping sounds I heard really were signals, and that I did hear voices talking together afterwards.”
“Then it must have been Kaffirs sneaking there for water after it was dark.”
“But the footsteps?” said Lennox.
“Well, Kaffirs have feet.”