th the smart get-up she had noticed in members of
the same corps at Bulawayo, yet the uniform for all that. If he was a
policeman she was safe. He would be bound to protect her, and guide her
to some place of safety. To this end she addressed him.

"You are a policeman, are you not?"

"Where you go?" was the gruff reply.

"To Sikumbutana. You must show me the way, and I will give you
something you will like--money."

"Sikumbutana? Kwa Jonemi?" repeated the man.

"Jonemi?"--wonderingly. "John Ames! Yes; that is the name," she
exclaimed, eagerly recognising it. "How much you give me?"

"A pound. Twenty shillings."

"Give me now"--stretching out his hand.

Could she trust him? She would willingly have given twenty--fifty--
pounds to find herself in a place of safety, but the gruff offhand
manner, so different to the smooth deferential way in which natives were
wont to treat their white conquerors, inspired her with distrust and
alarm. But she was in their power absolutely.

She took out her purse--a dainty, silver-rimmed, snake-skin affair--
which contained some loose silver and a couple of sovereigns, and opened
it. The big native snatched it roughly from her hand.

She started back, flushing with anger, less at the robbery than at the
ruffianly manner of its perpetration, but her anger was dashed with a
chill, sinking feeling of terror. She was so entirely within the power
of these two savages. Then she remembered how John Ames had laid down,
in the course of one of their numerous conversations, that in dealing
with natives it never did to let them think you were afraid of them.

"Why did you do that?" she said, looking him straight in the face, her
eyes showing more contempt than anger. "You--a policeman? I would have
given you all that money if you had asked me, and more, too, when you
had taken me where I wanted to go."

Her utterance was purposely slow, clear and deliberate. The big native
had sufficient knowledge of English to enable him to understand at any
rate the gist of her rebuke. But he only scowled, and made no reply.
Then the small man began to address her volubly in Sindabele, but to
each of his remarks or questions Nidia could only shake her head. She
understood not one word of them. Having satisfied himself to that
extent, he left off talking to her, and, turning to the other, began a
long and earnest discussion, of which it was just as well that Nidia
could not understa