, there hovered a strange reddening
glow. At the sound the dogs lying around the house sprang up, baying
furiously.

"Grace, I believe the Tambookie locations out yonder are up in arms.
That is the war-cry--they are dancing the war-dance. Listen!"

Here indeed was a potential peril, a tangible one, and removed from the
spheres of mere bogeydom. There had been uneasy rumours in the air of
late--that the Tembu locations on the confines of the district were
plotting and restless, and more than ready to rise and join their
disaffected fellow-tribesmen now in open rebellion beneath the slopes of
the Stormberg. No wonder if these two unprotected women felt a real
apprehension chill their veins, as they stood upon the _stoep_ of their
lonely homestead gazing forth with beating hearts, listening to these
ominous sounds rising upon the stillness of the night. The distance
which separated them from the disaffected savages was not great, hardly
more than half a score of miles.

"Even if it is so, I don't think we have anything to fear," said Grace
at last. "They would go in the other direction if they moved at all;
either cross over to join Gungubele's people, or Umfanta's, or perhaps
move down to league forces with the Gaikas. They would hardly venture
so near the town as this."

"Move down to league forces with the Gaikas?" echoed Mona,
horror-stricken at the suggestion. "Why, that would mean that they
would cross the very belt of country over which lay Roden's return
route."

Grace Suffield was quick to grasp her meaning.

"No, no; not that, dear," she said. "I don't believe myself there is
anything to be alarmed at. I believe they are only making a noise;
possibly they have a big beer-drinking on, or something. Kaffirs, in
their way, are just as fond of jollification as we are, you know; and I
think I remember more than once hearing something of the kind before,
only as there was no war on, or even dreamt of, we hardly noticed it at
the time, I suppose. Yes, I am perfectly certain that is all it means;
so now come in, and we'll go to bed. You shall sleep in my room if you
like."

Mona suffered herself to be led in, and to be given wine, and generally
taken care of: but curiously inconsistent, for all her nervous fears,
she preferred to be alone. Then, bidding her relative good-night, she
retired to her room, and having fastened the shutters and locked the
door, she sat down to think.

Her thoughts flew