'ushed, and then he waved 'is hand to
'er to say "good-bye," and afore you could say Jack Robinson she 'ad
grabbed up a bit o' dirty blanket, a bundle of assegais, and a spear, and
come out arter us.

"Back!" ses Rupert in a whisper, pointing.

[Illustration: "Back!" ses Rupert in a whisper, pointing.]

Kumbo shook her 'ead, and then he took hold of 'er and tried to shove 'er
back, but she wouldn't go. I lent him a 'and, but all wimmen are the
same, black or white, and afore I knew where I was she 'ad clawed my cap
off and scratched me all down one side of the face.

"Walk fast," ses Rupert.

I started to run, but it was all no good; Kumbo kept up with us easy, and
she was so pleased at being out in the open air that she began to dance
and play about like a kitten. Instead o' minding their own business
people turned and follered us, and quite a crowd collected.

"We shall 'ave the police in a minute," ses Rupert. "Come in 'ere--
quick."

He pointed to a pub up a side street, and went in with Kumbo holding on
to his arm. The barman was for sending us out at fust, but such a crowd
follered us in that he altered 'is mind. I ordered three pints, and,
while I was 'anding Rupert his, Kumbo finished 'ers and began on mine.
I tried to explain, but she held on to it like grim death, and in the
confusion Rupert slipped out.

He 'adn't been gone five seconds afore she missed 'im, and I never see
anybody so upset in all my life. She spilt the beer all down the place
where 'er bodice ought to ha' been, and then she dropped the pot and went
arter 'im like a hare. I follered in a different way, and when I got
round the corner I found she 'ad caught 'im and was holding 'im by the
arm.

O' course, the crowd was round us agin, and to get rid of 'em I did a
thing I'd seldom done afore--I called a cab, and we all bundled in and
drove off to the wharf, with the spear sticking out o' the window, and
most of the assegais sticking into me.

"This is getting serious," ses Rupert.

"Yes," I ses; "and wot 'ave I done to be dragged into it? You must ha'
been paying 'er some attention to make 'er carry on like this."

I thought Rupert would ha' bust, and the things he said to the man wot
was spending money like water to rescue 'im was disgraceful.

We got to the wharf at last, and I was glad to see that my pal 'ad got
tired of night-watching and 'ad gone off, leaving the gate open. Kumbo
went in 'anging on to Rupert's ar