Greenoak told
him of the crossing from Gcalekaland, and the barbarous vengeance which
had been taken upon poor Mantisa. It happened that John Voss had not
been into the location at all, so had been powerless to warn either of
the ambush laid, for the simple reason that he knew nothing of it.

And as they travelled, these two laid their plans as to how best warn
the neighbourhood.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

CONDITIONAL.

"Another `whited sepulchre,' Faugh!" said Hazel, dropping in disgust the
two halves of the outwardly magnificent peach she had just broken open,
but which within was a mass of squirming maggots.

"Try these," said Dick Selmes, pulling down a bough of the tree, on
which grew several, and holding it for her while she made a selection.

"I thought so," she went on, rapidly breaking open and throwing away
another, and then another. "No, I give it up. This is a bad year for
peaches."

The two were alone together among the fragrant boskiness of the
fruit-laden garden. The midsummer day was hot and cloudless, yet just a
puff of cool air every now and then, from the not very far distant
Indian Ocean, redeemed it from downright sultriness. Birds piped and
whistled away up among the leaves, but shy of showing themselves over
much. There had been too much havoc wrought among their kind in defence
of the fruit to encourage them to court human propinquity.

"How jolly this is!" went on Dick, looking around.

"Are you ever anything but jolly?" she asked.

"Oh yes! I can get the blues, I can tell you. For instance--"

"For instance--when?" she repeated, as he broke off.

"For instance--well, I don't mind saying it. That time we left
Haakdoornfontein I felt anything but jolly."

"Yet Haakdoorn isn't a wildly exciting place at the best of times. Ah,
I see. You missed the hunting."

This was exasperating. She was in a bright, mischievous, teasing mood,
but oh--how entrancing she looked, the lift of the heavily lashed
eyelid, the little flash of white teeth in the bantering smile, the rich
mantling of the sun-kissed, oval face.

"I missed _you_. Hazel, you know that perfectly well. And just think.
I had you all to myself in those days, and here not. All these jokers
who were here for Christmas--well, I found them a bore, for that
reason."

Christmas had just past, and on and around it several people from far
and near had been to spend it with the Waybridges; and of these visitors
the bulk