ll do it, deer! I'll do it, Walty! But why should there be any
shootin', lovey? At 'Ome I never could abear to see them theayter plays
what 'ad guns an' firin' in 'em; it made me 'art beat so crooil bad."

He grinned over the big hat into the darkness.

"All right! I will tell the men with the guns that you do not like to hear
them, and they will not perhaps shoot at all. But you will look out for
the boxes with the dynamite, and send me the message when it comes?"

"Course I will, deer! But 'ow am I to send the message?"

The shadowy right arm of Slabberts swept out, taking in the black and void
and formless veld with a large free gesture.

"Out to there. Stand in this place when it becomes dark, looking east.
Straight in front of us is east. The game is great fun, and very easy.
Strike a match, and count to ten before you blow it out, and you shall not
have done that three times before you shall see him answer."

"But oo's 'im?"

"He is my friend--out there upon the veld."

"Lor! but where'll you be? Didn't you say as I'd be talkin' to you? I
don't 'arf fancy wot you calls the gyme, not if I 'ave to play it with a
strynge bloke!"

The answer came, accompanied by a scraping, familiar sound.

The Slabberts was striking a match of the fizzling, spluttering,
Swedish-made non-safety kind, known to W. Keyse and his circle by the
familiar abbreviation of "stinkers."

"Voor den donder! Have I not told you I shall be there with him--after
to-night!"

Her womanly tenderness quickened at the hint of coming separation. She
clung fondly to his arm, and the match went out, extinguished by a
maiden's sigh. He shook her roughly off, and struck another.

"I shall go away--ja--and here is the only way for you to reach me!"

As the fresh match glimmered blue, he held it at arm's length in front of
him, counting silently up to ten, then blew it out, and set his heavy boot
upon the faintly-glowing spark, and did the thing again.

Endeavouring not to breathe so as to be heard, W. Keyse flattened himself
against the corrugated fence, and waited, looking ahead into the thick
velvet darkness, sensing the faint human taint upon the tell-tale breeze,
and counting with the Slabberts; and then, out in the blackness that
concealed so much that was sinister, sprang into sudden life an answering
bluish glimmer, and lasted for ten beats of the pulse, and went out as
suddenly as though a human breath had blown upon it.

"Is that your