“About here,” said Lennox, stepping to the rock close at hand.—“Bring the lantern, quick.”
Sergeant James stepped forward with his and held it up for his officer, who began to examine the rock; but Dickenson paid no heed. He employed himself in watching the prostrate Boer attentively, and noticed that his eyes were being blinked violently, as if the man were in a great state of excitement. But he seemed to calm down rapidly as the young subaltern walked to and fro, holding the light up, then down, and always coming back to the starting-place.
“Well, can’t you find it?” said Captain Roby, with a sneer.
“No,” replied Lennox frankly. “I can see no signs of it.”
“And are not likely to,” replied Captain Roby, with a grunt indicative of the contempt he felt. “It’s all absurd. What did you expect to find? A hidden Aladdin’s cave, with genii keeping the door?—Here, Dickenson, you are a gentleman of fine imagination. Go and help him. Expand your lungs, and cry Open Sesame!”
“Why don’t you,” said Dickenson, “as you know Persian, or whatever it is, so well?”
Captain Roby was about to make an angry retort, but Captain Edwards now interfered.
“I don’t think there is any hiding-place along here,” he said. “There may be a rift or cave somewhere about the kopje, but certainly there does not seem to be one in this part.”
“I am not satisfied,” said Lennox, who was busy still directing the light in and out among the crevices of the rocks. “It hardly seems possible, but the natural form of the granite is in blocks which look as if they had been piled-up by the hand of man. Could any one of these be a rough door?”
“No; absurd,” said Captain Roby. “There, we have captured our prisoner; let’s get him down to the colonel.”