go hunting with Amaxosa; his wrist
was now practically well, he said, and he felt as if a little exercise
would do him good. Grenville, whilst lazily smoking his pipe, was
watching the motions of the pair, who were endeavouring, a quarter of a
mile away, to stalk several head of game, when he sprang to his feet
with a hurried exclamation of fear, and seizing his rifle, pitched it
forward, and apparently taking aim at Winfield, fired quickly. Even as
he did so a puff of white smoke shot up, apparently from the ground,
within forty yards of Winfield's position, and throwing up his hands he
fell prone upon his face. The Zulu promptly sprang forward, and lifting
the body in his arms commenced to carry it away, whilst two more shots
spirted out from the ground, both fortunately being wide of the mark.

In another instant Leigh was down the rugged path and helping Amaxosa to
carry Winfield up to the plateau. Grenville anxiously came forward as
they reached their destination and laid down their ghastly burden. "Is
he dead?" he asked in broken tones.

"Not quite, my father," replied the Zulu, "but he cannot live, the evil
men have shot him through the chest." Winfield, as Amaxosa said this,
opened his eyes, coughed up some blood, then faintly asked for water;
and after receiving this, spoke very feebly to Grenville.

"Thank you for trying to save me, but you were a second too late this
time--you have saved my life so often, and I hoped to live to save
yours; and now let me say good-bye to Dora, for I am going, going fast;"
and again he coughed up great streams of blood.

Leigh broke the awful calamity as gently as possible to the poor girl,
and a moment later she sat with her father's head upon her knee, with
the scalding tears running pitifully down her cheeks, and in her heart
the awful knowledge that in a few short minutes she would lose the only
parent she had, and who was dear to her beyond anything else upon earth.

The end was coming fast; poor Winfield could only whisper, "If you ever
get away from here, go home to England, my darling. Oh! how shall I
leave you in the hands of strangers. Gentlemen, God be with you as you
are kind to my friendless little girl."

"Not friendless, old fellow," said Leigh, kneeling beside him.
"Winfield, will you give Dora to me? I love her very dearly."

The poor fellow gazed fixedly at Leigh, then at his daughter, who smiled
through her tears at him who had so boldly claime