ing in volume every second. The sky was clear, and one swift
glance told Hamilton that it was not a storm he had to fear. And then it
came upon him, and he realized what this commotion meant.

"Run!" he cried, and with one accord naked warriors and uniformed
Houssas fled through the darkness to the higher ground. The water came
rushing about Hamilton's ankles, one man slipped back again into the
flood and was hauled out again by Bones, exclaiming loudly his own act
lest it should have escaped the attention of his superior, and the party
reached safety without the loss of a man.

"Just in time," said Hamilton grimly. "I wonder if the Administrator
knew this was going to happen?"

They came to the Ochori by easy marches, and Hamilton wrote a long wire
to headquarters sending it on ahead by a swift messenger.

It was a dispatch which cleared away many difficulties, for the disputed
territory was for everlasting under water, and where the "red field" had
blazed brilliantly was a calm stretch of river two miles wide filled
with strange silent brown objects that floated and bobbed to the
movement of the tide. These were the men who in their folly had loosened
the waters and died of their rashness. Most notable of these was Bizaro.

There was a shock waiting for Hamilton when he reached the Ochori city.
The wire from the Administrator was kindly enough and sufficiently
approving to satisfy even an exigent Bones. "But," it ran, "why did you
retire in face of stringent orders to remain? I wired you 'Banquo.'"

Hamilton afterwards learnt that the messenger carrying this important
dispatch had passed his party in their retirement through the forest.

"Banquo," quoted Hamilton in amazement. "I received absolute
instructions to retire."

"Hard cheese," said Bones, sympathetically. "His dear old Excellency
wants a good talking to; but are you sure, dear old chap, that you
haven't made a mistake."

"Here it is," he said, "but I must confess that I don't understand the
numbers."

He handed it to Bones. It read:

"Mercutio 17178."

Bones looked at it a moment, then gasped. He reached out his hand
solemnly and grasped that of the astounded Hamilton.

"Dear old fellow," he said in a broken voice, "Congratulate me, I have
drawn a runner!"

"A runner?"

"A runner, dear old sport," chortled Bones, "in the Cambridgeshire! You
see I've got a ticket number seventeen, seventeen eight in my pocket,
dear old