Meanwhile Van der Wyck rode over to Sibenga's Kraal and saw Logula again. Most of the natives had recovered from their feast, and several of them, with a view to a reward, offered to search for the missing white men. Selecting two trackers, Van der Wyck set them on the spoor, which to a European would be by this time utterly lost.
The natives did almost exactly what their fellow tribesmen had done the previous day, coming to a halt in precisely the same spot and declaring that the lost men had "gone up."
Van der Wyck, who spoke most of the Kaffir dialects fluently, had little difficulty in making himself understood in the tongue of Sibenga's people; but he found it impossible to get the natives to climb the trees and make further investigations. They professed ignorance of the command, shaking their heads and uttering the word "Maquishi" (finished).
So the Afrikander had to leave it at that as far as these fellows were concerned, but he determined to carry out further investigations in that direction, although he himself was too old and too inexperienced in woodcraft to be able to climb trees.
At four o'clock on the day next following two motor-cars dashed up to the gate of Kilembonga.
In the first was Wynyard, the District Commissioner, his secretary, and McFrazer. The second contained a native sergeant, two police, and two black trackers from Lilwana's country, men known for miles as the craftiest and most highly-skilled human sleuthhounds in East Africa.
Wynyard meant to do his task thoroughly. Apart from the fact that two Englishmen had disappeared, Colin and Desmond were, like himself, Stockmere Old Boys.
He had accomplished the journey in the record time of seven hours, the cars attaining a speed of nearly fifty miles an hour over the post-road, and rarely falling below twenty over the rest of the way.
McFrazer had already related all he knew of the case. During a hasty meal Wynyard elicited further information from Van der Wyck, and also had a brief but business-like interview with the invalid, Colonel Narfield.
"Right-o!" he declared, cheerfully. "We'll find them. S'pose they're not playing a practical joke, by any chance?"