"A cave--a hole--where Umlimo speaks from," she tried to explain. But
the other became suddenly and unaccountably dense.

"Gave? Hole? Oh yes, missie. Plenty hole here. Plenty hole in
Matopo. Oh yes. Big mountain, plenty hole."

The great volume of savage sound came rolling up almost unintermittently
till midnight. Then there was silence once more.

The next day, John Ames did not appear, nor the next. Then, in utter
despair, Nidia agreed to Pukele's repeated proposal to guide her out of
the hills, and if possible to bring her into Bulawayo itself.

And right well and faithfully did this barbarian fulfil his undertaking.
The rebels were coming into the hills now, and every step of the way
was fraught with danger. He made her lie hidden during the day, always
choosing some apparently inaccessible and least suspicious looking
retreat, while he himself would wander forth in search of the means of
subsistence. At night they would do their travelling, and here the eyes
of the savage were as the eyes of a cat, and actually the eyes of both
of them. And throughout, he watched over her safety with the fidelity
of a dog.

One great argument which had availed to induce Nidia to yield to her
guide's representations, was that once she was safe in Bulawayo, he
would be left free to pursue his search for the missing man. As to
which, let him but succeed, she assured him, and he would be a rich
man--as his people counted riches--for life.

Thus journeying they had reached the outskirts of the hills, and could
now and then obtain glimpses of the open country. Twice had Pukele
fallen in with his countrymen, from whom he had gleaned that it was so
far open around Bulawayo, but would not be long, for the Umlimo had
pronounced in favour of shutting it in, and the impis were massing with
that object.

Pukele was returning from a solitary hunt, bringing with him the carcase
of a klip-springer. He was under no restriction as to who heard the
report of his rifle, and being a fair shot, and as stealthy and active
as the game itself, he seldom returned from such empty handed.
Moreover, he knew where to find grain when it was wanted, wherefore his
charge suffered no disadvantage by reason of short commons. He was
returning along the base of a large granite kopje. The ground was open
immediately in front, but on his left was a straggling line of trees and
undergrowth. Singing softly to himself he was striding along whe