here
there was none. Less by a long way than had it been your case," I was
tempted to add, but didn't. "No, I own it puzzles me. I shall take a
ride over there in a day or two, and make a few enquiries on the spot,
just as a matter of curiosity."

"All the same it looks dashed fishy," said the Major. "D'you know,
Glanton, I'm inclined to think Falkner may have hit it."

"Nothing's absolutely impossible," I answered. "Still, I don't think
that's the solution."

"But the police--what do they think of it?"

"So far they are stumped utterly and completely--nor can their native
detectives rout out anything."

"How very dreadful," said Mrs Sewin. "Really it makes one feel quite
uncomfortable."

"He lived alone, remember, Mrs Sewin, and there are plenty of you," I
laughed, meaning to be reassuring. But I could see that a decidedly
uncomfortable feeling had taken hold upon her mind, and tried to turn
the conversation, blaming myself for a fool in having started such a
subject at all on the top of the alarm the ladies had already been
subjected to that morning. But they say there are compensations for
everything, and mine came when just as they were preparing to start Mrs
Sewin said to me:

"I have a very great favour to ask you, Mr Glanton, and I hardly like
doing so after all your kindness to us since yesterday and what has come
of it. But--would you mind riding home with us this afternoon. After
what has just happened we should feel so much safer if you would."

I tried to put all the sincerity I could into my reassurances that no
one would interfere with them, but apart from my own inclinations a
certain anxious look on Aida Sewin's face as they waited for my answer
decided me.

"Why of course I will if it will be any help to you, Mrs Sewin," I
said, and then again a quick grateful look from the same quarter caused
me to tread on air, as I went round to see to the saddling up of the
horses--my own among them.

As we took our way down the well worn bush path I could see that the
incident of the morning had not been entirely cleared off from the minds
of the party. The ladies were inclined to be nervous, and if a horse
started and shied at a tortoise or a white snail shell beside the path I
believe they more than half expected a crowd of revengeful savages to
rush out and massacre them on the spot. However, of course, nothing
happened, and we got to the Major's farm by sundown.

Then I had my reward