"Old Norton came after me as I was trekking south, utterly sick of the English lot.

He came on the old pretext: that I had bought diamonds and was carrying them off.

He searched again, and then I told him the simple truth--that you two had volunteered to carry despatches so as to get clear off with the swag you had acquired--after accusing me; but he professed not to believe me, and took me back to Kimberley, but the very next day he started off with half-a-dozen men to fetch you back, and I came away." "With the diamonds you had hidden ?" said Ingleborough sharply.
"Perhaps," replied Anson coolly.

"So, you see, you had better join our party, for even if you escaped it would only be for the police superintendent to get hold of you both, and if he did, you wouldn't find him such an excellent friend." "Wants thinking about!" said Ingleborough drily.

"But `our' party--`our' ?" "Yes," said Anson coolly.