mal prefixes are prone to lapse on occasions.
But this little jealous twinge was allayed with her greeting of him--all
in the old way. He appreciated, too, Warren's tactful thought in
turning Le Sage's attention right in the other direction.

Then the small boys came in, hot and dusty after their ramble, and it
behoved Lalante to go and superintend the process of making them
presentable for dinner--for which it was nearly time.

In process of that festivity assuredly Wyvern's reputation with the two
youngsters as a spinner of "such ripping good yarns" did not suffer as
they listened open-mouthed to his narrative of shooting the big leopard
in the Third Kloof. The more startling incident of that night he did
not narrate for their benefit.

"Man, Mr Wyvern, but I'd like to have been there," said Charlie.

"Do take us with you some night, Mr Wyvern," supplemented Frank.

"There won't be any `some night' again, Frank. I'm going away."

"What?" cried both youngsters. "No. It's not true."

"But it is," answered Wyvern, with a tinge of sadness. "The day after
to-morrow. I've only come to-day to say good-bye."

"But you can't go. Lala, tell him he's not to. He'll stop if you tell
him to."

These two youngsters were actually beginning to feel "choky," in proof
whereof a plateful apiece of one of their favourite puddings seemed in
danger of being left untouched.

The whole-souled affection of the two little boys--Lalante's brothers--
went to Wyvern's heart.

"Never mind, old chappies," he said. "We shall meet again some day, and
then you'll be big fellows, and will want to patronise me because I
don't bring down a bushbuck ram at four hundred yards when only his head
is showing round a _spek-boem_ bush, as you'll do. Here, stop that," he
added, as Charlie, the smallest of the pair, began to sniffle ominously,
then giving up the effort, broke into a genuine howl. "Men don't cry--
and, this last day we most be all jolly together. See?"

"If you're going in for the Zulu trade, Wyvern, I'm afraid you've hit
upon the wrong time," struck in Le Sage. "I hear they're all unsettled
in the Zulu country over the return of Cetywayo. There'll be a lively
war up there among themselves I'm told."

"Got to chance that, like most things in this sad and weary world."

"Man, Mr Wyvern, but they'll kill you if you go up there," remarked one
of the small boys in round-eyed consternation. "Why you fought against
them in