reebooter was
a sight to behold. Blood streamed from his nose; his eyes were heavily
visited; bumps and cuts showed freely upon his streaming countenance;
his wind was going.

"Now, old chap," whispered Hume Wheler to his friend, during a short
pause for breath by the combatants, "you've done magnificently. You've
got him on toast! Go in and win. It's all up with the Puff-adder!"

There was only one more round. Brown was a beaten man, his muscles and
wind were gone, and he had been severely punished. He at once closed.
In some heavy, half-arm fighting, Joe, still quite fresh, put in some
telling work. His fists rattled upon his opponent's face and about his
ribs. Finally, getting in a terrible rib-binder, he deprived his man of
what little breath remained to him. The man staggered forward with his
head down. Joe delivered one last terrible upper cut, and six feet of
battered flesh lay in the dust at his feet, senseless, bleeding, and
hopelessly defeated.

Meanwhile the natives had been looking on upon a contest the like of
which they had never before seen. Their "ughs!" and ejaculations
indicated pretty correctly their astonishment. Chief Tapinyani seemed
rather pleased than otherwise. For a mild Bakalahari he was a bit of a
fighting man himself--with his native weapons. Under Lane's directions
Puff-adder Brown was carried to his own wagon, and there revived with
cold water, washed, and put to rights. After he had, by aid of strong
applications of brandy and water somewhat recovered his shattered
senses, Lane gave him a little sound advice. He warned him to clear out
of the place by next day. He told him that after the vile poisoning
incident at the fountain--an attempt which might very well have murdered
a whole expedition--any return to British Bechuanaland would result in
his instant arrest. And he finally gave him to understand that any act
of treachery or revenge would be carefully watched and instantly
repelled by force. His advice was taken to heart. During the night the
discomfited filibuster trekked from the place, and took himself off to a
part of the distant interior, where, to broken and dangerous scoundrels,
a career is still open.

During the next few days the wagon and oxen were got safely to the town,
and some progress was made in preliminary negotiations for a concession
to Lane and his party. Finally, at the close of a week, after the
endless discussion and argument so dear to