and things were ship-shape again.
Ndabakosi's kraals had been burnt, but the old chief and some of his
headmen had surrendered; he declaring that he had nothing to do with the
attack upon the place, the impi being composed almost entirely of
strangers; a statement which Hyland Thornhill for one, remembering his
experience at Ndabakosi's kraal, took with a considerable dash of salt.

Now Hyland's praises were in everybody's mouth. His coolness and daring
during the fight had been witnessed by all, and his brusque and almost
commandeering manner was quite forgiven him. Men will overlook--
especially at such a time as this--a great deal in one who has given
them ocular proof of the above-named qualities; moreover all there knew
that this one was undergoing at heart an intense grief and apprehension.
So when he went about quietly, asking the most likely men to back him
up in his perilous venture he met with no single refusal. He could have
doubled his force had he so wished, but he did not. This was to be a
run-through venture, not a fighting one, and for such a purpose a small
force was better than a larger one.

During the afternoon one of the detectives sent out by Prior slipped
quietly into the camp. He confirmed the statement of the Zulu in every
particular. The prisoners were at Nteseni's kraal. One had been
murdered, that morning, and that was the Police trooper. He had been
killed by order of the chief, and the impi had been `doctored' with his
blood. The others would have shared the same fate had not another
chief, one presumably of higher authority than Nteseni, prevented it,
and he had only done this with some difficulty. These facts had the
detective been able to gather owing to the wonderful and telegraphic
swiftness with which news spreads among natives; for it must not be
supposed that he himself had been at the scene of the tragedy--or
anywhere near it.

Here was grand comfort for the two sorrowing women, but the lamentable
side of the story, the murder of poor young Parry was kept from them, as
indeed it was from the camp at large until the expedition should have
returned. They could hardly find words for their thankfulness and hope.
But would those leaden hours of sunlight never cease to drag on?

"Hyland, darling," pleaded Edala, as she hung around her brother's neck
as the time came to start. "You will not be reckless will you? When
you have got them you will come straight back--you won'