ck writhing mass; his horse, terrified, dashed back with
maddened snorts into the midst of the others. Its plunging disconcerted
the whole party for a minute.

We did not wait to see the rest. Taking advantage of this momentary
diversion in our favour, we rode on at full speed to the top of the
slope--I never knew before how hard I could pedal--and began to descend
at a dash into the opposite hollow.

The sun had set by this time. There is no twilight in those latitudes.
It grew dark at once. We could see now, in the plain all round, where
black clouds of smoke had rolled before, one lurid red glare of burning
houses, mixed with a sullen haze of tawny light from the columns of
prairie fire kindled by the insurgents.

We made our way still onward across the open plain without one word
towards Salisbury. The mare was giving out. She strode with a will; but
her flanks were white with froth; her breath came short; foam flew from
her nostrils.

As we mounted the next ridge, still distancing our pursuers, I saw
suddenly, on its crest, defined against the livid red sky like a
silhouette, two more mounted black men!

"It's all up, Hilda!" I cried, losing heart at last. "They are on both
sides of us now! The mare is spent; we are surrounded!"

She drew rein and gazed at them. For a moment suspense spoke in all her
attitude. Then she burst into a sudden deep sigh of relief. "No, no,"
she cried; "these are friendlies!"

"How do you know?" I gasped. But I believed her.

"They are looking out this way, with hands shading their eyes against
the red glare. They are looking away from Salisbury, in the direction of
the attack. They are expecting the enemy. They MUST be friendlies! See,
see! they have caught sight of us!"

As she spoke, one of the men lifted his rifle and half pointed it.
"Don't shoot! don't shoot!" I shrieked aloud. "We are English! English!"

The men let their rifles drop, and rode down towards us. "Who are you?"
I cried.

They saluted us, military fashion. "Matabele police, sah," the leader
answered, recognising me. "You are flying from Klaas's?"

"Yes," I answered. "They have murdered Klaas, with his wife and child.
Some of them are now following us."

The spokesman was a well-educated Cape Town negro. "All right sah," he
answered. "I have forty men here right behind de kopje. Let dem come!
We can give a good account of dem. Ride on straight wit de lady to
Salisbury!"

"The Salisbury people know of