Africa with Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and that they had found
treasure, and then politely turned the subject and began to ask me
questions about England, where he had never been before--that is, since
he came to years of discretion. Of course, I did not find this very
interesting, and so cast about for some means to bring the conversation
round again.

Now, we were dining in an oak-panelled vestibule, and on the wall
opposite to me were fixed two gigantic elephant tusks, and under them
a pair of buffalo horns, very rough and knotted, showing that they came
off an old bull, and having the tip of one horn split and chipped. I
noticed that Hunter Quatermain's eyes kept glancing at these trophies,
and took an occasion to ask him if he knew anything about them.

"I ought to," he answered, with a little laugh; "the elephant to which
those tusks belonged tore one of our party right in two about eighteen
months ago, and as for the buffalo horns, they were nearly my death, and
were the end of a servant of mine to whom I was much attached. I
gave them to Sir Henry when he left Natal some months ago;" and Mr.
Quatermain sighed and turned to answer a question from the lady whom he
had taken down to dinner, and who, needless to say, was also employed in
trying to pump him about the diamonds.

Indeed, all round the table there was a simmer of scarcely suppressed
excitement, which, when the servants had left the room, could no longer
be restrained.

"Now, Mr. Quatermain," said the lady next him, "we have been kept in an
agony of suspense by Sir Henry and Captain Good, who have persistently
refused to tell us a word of this story about the hidden treasure till