aid as they clasped hands. "Going to be hot, I
think. Come inside."

Then a hail having extracted a boy, from somewhere behind the house,
Ratels was taken away to be off-saddled, and was soon seen, prancing and
neighing in an adjoining paddock, as though in sheer delight at finding
himself at home again. Then Edala appeared. Her greeting of the
visitor was perfectly frank and self possessed, but Elvesdon was
surprised to find himself feeling, for the moment, a trifle disappointed
that there was not a little more cordiality about it. But the straight
glance of her blue eyes was charming, so too was the lift of upper lip
shewing the gleam of white teeth, in her welcoming smile.

"I've kept my resolution, Mr Elvesdon," she said. "I haven't been out
by myself without a shot-gun since. In fact, I believe I've caught
myself almost wishing another _indhlondhlo_ would show up so that I
might try conclusions with him, this time not at a disadvantage."

"I wouldn't like to insure the snake, Miss Thornhill," laughed the
other.

"Thanks. You know--old Tongwana was round here a day or two afterwards,
and he was saying you must be _tagati_ indeed to have escaped. In fact
I don't think he and the others who were with him more than half
swallowed what had happened--a set of unbelieving Jews."

"Well, do you know, it would make rather a tall story. It was so
absolutely a case of poetic justice. I don't believe I should get more
than seven people in ten to swallow it myself--and snake stories always
are received with prejudice."

"Rather," said Thornhill. "And yet more than one fact I have actually
known in my up-country experience would knock out anything I've ever
heard, or read in fiction for sheer incredibility of coincidence."

Elvesdon pricked up his ears.

"I'd like to hear about those," he said.

"Some day perhaps," answered the other carelessly. "Edala dear, get Mr
Elvesdon something after his ride. I believe he'd appreciate it, and I
know I should--although I haven't had a ride. It's a `dry' sort of
morning. Then I move that we go and sit under the fig-trees, and smoke
pipes."

"Carried nem. con.," pronounced Edala.

"Pipes and all--all round I mean, Miss Thornhill?" said Elvesdon.

She looked at him with a smile of half lofty merriment.

"I'm surprised at you, Mr Elvesdon. Disappointed too. Really I am.
That's too thin, yet you could not resist it."

"Frankly it is," laughed the culprit. "I'