is natural exasperation, and he stepped forward with
renewed alacrity.

"We shall never get him in to Fort Lamport, or anything like as far," I
said, as the road thither lay but a short space in front of us. "He'll
be rescued, or give us the slip long before."

"I don't intend to take him to Fort Lamport, or anything like as far,"
she answered shortly.

"But--where then?" I asked, thoroughly mystified.

"I am going to take him to look upon those he has murdered. Then I am
going to shoot him dead--there, at the place where he has murdered
them."

I gasped.

"Great heavens, Beryl! you are never going to do anything so mad!"

"I am. What do you suppose I brought him all this way for--Be careful,
Kuliso," relapsing into Kafir. "My eyes are on you, although I'm
talking. The bullet, too, is just as ready."

To say that I was thunderstruck is to put it mildly. When I had agreed
to our daring and desperate scheme, the arrest of the chief in the very
thick of his own followers, I had never bargained for this. The idea
was that by seizing him ourselves we could bring him to justice and thus
prevent his escape, for if his said arrest were attempted in the
ordinary way his followers would never give him up. They would resist
any attempt to take him by force, as sure as such attempt were made.
This would probably bring on a war, but not condign punishment upon
Kuliso. I was filled with admiration for the promptitude and resolution
with which she had forced him to accompany us, but that he was marching
to his swift and certain doom had never entered my head--that Beryl had
constituted herself his judge, jury and executioner, least of all. No,
assuredly I had never bargained for this.

"Think better of it," I urged. "Think better of it, and let us carry
out our original plan and take him into the town."

"It was never _my_ original plan," she answered, in the same low,
monotonous tone. "Besides, to use your own words, we should never get
him anything like as far. He'd be rescued or give us the slip long
before. No. My original plan is the one I am going to carry out--Cross
the road, Kuliso. That's right. Keep straight on."

"Beryl, you cannot do this thing yourself," I urged earnestly. "We will
manage to keep possession of him somehow, but--leave the rest to the
hangman."

"The hangman would never get him, in that case. The Government itself
would find some pretext for letting him go, for fear of bri