you're as jolly here as in an armchair on the
stoep."

And the other was somewhat reassured, although the situation to her was
ghastly and horrible in the extreme. But now the voices drew very near
indeed, were right overhead. Fortunately the mist had suddenly
thickened, and the tree, which was some little way down, was quite
blotted out to the vision of those above. To Edala, who understood what
was said, the moment was one of awful tensity. Someone had been upon
the mountain, of that they were convinced. But where could they be?
There was no hiding place. Unless they had fallen over the cliff they
would be here now.

Thus the discussion flowed on. Even the vibration of the tread of feet
above caused the tree trunk to quiver slightly. At any moment the mist
might lift. And it seemed to these two, suspended over awful space, an
eternity. Then with unspeakable relief and thankfulness they heard the
footsteps and voices retreating.

"Not yet," breathed Edala. "Not yet. We must let them get clear away
first. See. It's getting lighter."

It was. The dawn was at hand; in fact had already begun to break. The
outline of the cliff above was visible now, plainly visible, and
devoutly thankful did Edala feel that this lightening had been deferred
as long as it had.

"My `aerial throne' has its uses, Evelyn--eh?" she whispered.

Then something moved her to look up again. Her exaltation was dashed,
shattered to the ground. On the brink, calmly gazing down upon them,
stood the tall figure of a man--a dark man--and the outline of his
figure and head-ring stood out against the sickly murk. She recognised
Manamandhla. The bitterness of death had come.

For a few moments the Zulu thus stood, his eyes meeting hers. Then,
without a word, he turned away and disappeared.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

OF A HOME-COMING.

The kraal of the chief, Ndabakosi, was in a state of somewhat unusual
excitement. Men were passing from hut to hut, but there were few women
to be seen. The blue smoke reeks rose to bluer sky, and the odour of
kine was in the air. Around, the veldt, dotted with feathery mimosa,
lay shimmering in the afternoon heat.

The kraal was a fairly large one, but somewhat of a strain must have
been put upon its capacity for accommodation, for a considerable number
of people seemed to be gathered here--not all together, for they kept
continually passing and re-passing from hut to hut, and hardly ever in