olvin shot?"

"Under the circumstances, no," was the cold reply.

"Hooroosh! You are gentlemen, you are, all of you!" cried Frank, his
exuberance getting the better of him. "Wait till we meet in Schalkburg
again. We'll drink old Pritchett's bar dry. But, now for Colvin."

The latter had not moved from the spot on which he had stood to meet his
death, and Aletta had not moved from him. She still held the revolver
in her right hand, keeping jealous watch on the possibility of a
suspicious move towards them. But for the moment the attention of
everybody was riveted in the other direction. Not until her father
approached her alone did she begin to feel reassured.

"Aletta, my child, you may put away that plaything," called out
Stephanus. "Colvin is safe now. I have Schoeman's word for that.
Besides, I am able to ensure his safety myself."

"Aletta has saved me, Stephanus," answered Colvin as they exchanged a
great handgrip. "Look at this child of yours. But for her you would
have been here just ten minutes too late. They had actually levelled
the rifles when Aletta deliberately shielded me with herself. It just
turned on the merest hairsbreadth of a pressure on the trigger. Look at
her, Stephanus, and you will be looking on the bravest, sweetest, truest
woman that ever brightened God's world, and be as proud, to your dying
day, that she is your own daughter as I am that she is to be my wife."

"Er--I say, Colvin, old chap--how are you? I don't want to intrude--
only just to wring your flipper." And Frank Wenlock, looking from one
to the other, edged in, and performed that somewhat syllogistically
described feat with a will. "It wasn't my fault, Miss De la Rey," he
exclaimed. "I hadn't the ghost of an idea they'd dream of meaning to
shoot him till I heard it--well, by accident. When he got me safe off
the premises yonder, he swore again and again that he wasn't running the
slightest risk himself--that he stood too much in with them--and so on.
Otherwise I wouldn't have budged. I have my faults, but I wouldn't have
allowed another fellow to get shot instead of me, and that's why I came
back now."

"Look here, Frank," said Colvin, "would you mind explaining precisely
what on earth you are talking about?"

"Oh, come, that's rather too good. Ain't I talking about the night
before last, when I was going to be shot in a few hours, and you came in
and turned me loose. Eh?"

"Then you are talking of w