ard to be patient.
Meanwhile the battle, or skirmish,--in which they had ceased to take any
further interest,--had rolled farther and farther away, and was
slackening off altogether.

When the force went into camp for the night, great was the
dissatisfaction expressed over Peters' proposed defection. The latter
was adamant.

"I've come out with one object now," he said, "and I've attained it. We
must get back to Gandela at once, where Lamont has some very pressing
business. Then we're going to start a corps of our own. In fact,
that's all cut and dried. Eh, Wyndham?"

Wyndham agreed, and it was arranged they should start at dawn. Father
Mathias elected to remain with the expedition. His knowledge of surgery
might be useful, he urged, and indeed subsequent events proved it to be
very useful indeed, and the intrepidity of the doctor-priest, and his
unflagging care for the wounded and the dying, even under the hottest of
fire, won for him the admiration of all, not only on that expedition but
throughout the entire campaign.

Peters' party duly reached Gandela--not without incident, for on one
occasion it had to fight its way through. And then there were great
rejoicings, and a reunion which was too sacred for us to meddle with.
Then, too, came about the formation of that hard-bitten corps, `Lamont
Tigers,' and tigers indeed the savage enemy was destined to find them,
until eventually he sullenly laid down his arms at the Matopo Peace.
And with their departure, pain and black anxiety deepened down once
more--but--such was the common lot.

EPILOGUE.

"Heard the latest, Violet?" said Squire Courtland, as they got up from
lunch.

"There are so many latests," was the reply, somewhat acidly made.

"So there are. But this is a local `latest,' and touches a nearish
neighbour. What do you think of Lamont?"

"I never do think of him," she answered, even more acidly.

"Well, he's coming home. His place is being done up, and they've got
people working at it night and day. He's not only made a big name for
himself as a fighter, but he appears to have struck a gold mine into the
bargain, and now he's cleared off all the encumbrances and is having the
place put into tip-top order. What do you think of that?"

"I don't think anything of it either way. In fact the matter has no
earthly interest for me whatever," snapped Violet, with her nose in the
air.

"Not? That's lucky. You did make a mess of your ch