should be given to her?"

"Death," said the circle of indunas, pointing their thumbs downwards,
and all the multitude beyond echoed the word "Death."

"Death," repeated the head induna, adding, "If you save her, my
father, we will slay her with our own hands. She is a Babyan-woman, a
devil-woman; ah, yes, we have heard of such before; let her be slain
before she works more evil."

Then it was that Stella stepped forward and begged for Hendrika's life
in moving terms. She pleaded the savagery of the woman's nature, her
long service, and the affection that she had always shown towards
herself. She said that I, whose life had been attempted, forgave her,
and she, my wife, who had nearly been left a widow before she was made a
bride, forgave her; let them forgive her also, let her be sent away, not
slain, let not her marriage day be stained with blood.

Now her father listened readily enough, for he had no intention of
killing Hendrika--indeed, he had already promised not to do so. But the
people were in a different humour, they looked upon Hendrika as a devil,
and would have torn her to pieces there and then, could they have had
their way. Nor were matters mended by Indaba-zimbi, who had already
gained a great reputation for wisdom and magic in the place. Suddenly
the old man rose and made quite an impassioned speech, urging them to
kill Hendrika at once or mischief would come of it.

At last matters got very bad, for two of the Indunas came forward to
drag her off to execution, and it was not until Stella burst into tears
that the sight of her grief, backed by Mr. Carson's orders and my own
remonstrances, carried the day.

All this while Hendrika had been standing quite unmoved. At last the
tumult ceased, and the leading induna called to her to go, promising
that if ever she showed her face near the kraals again she should be
stabbed like a jackal. Then Hendrika spoke to Stella in a low voice and
in English--

"Better let them kill me, mistress, better for all. Without you to love
I shall go mad and become a babyan again."

Stella did not answer, and they loosed her. She stepped forward and
looked at the natives with a stare of hate. Then she turned and walked
past me, and as she passed whispered a native phrase in my ear, that,
being literally translated, means, "Till another moon," but which has
the same significance as the French "au revoir."

It frightened me, for I knew she meant that she had not done with