" I answered. "He's a witch doctor."

"What? A witch doctor?" her eyes brightening with interest. "I thought
witch doctors were horrid shrivelled old creatures who wore all sorts of
disgusting things as charms and amulets."

"Most of them do, and so would this one when he's plying his trade in
earnest. Yet he's about the biggest witch doctor along this border, and
his fame extends to Zululand as well."

"Ah!" as an idea struck her. "Now here's a chance for him to keep up
his reputation. I wonder if he could find my coin."

As we both knew where it was--or indeed in any case--the opportunity
seemed not a bad one. But I said:

"You must remember, Miss Sewin, that native doctors, like white ones,
don't practice for nothing, and often on the same terms. What if this
one should ask as the price of his services--no--professional
attendance, shouldn't it be?--a great deal more than the lost article's
worth?"

"Don't let him. But in any case I don't believe he has the ghost of a
chance of finding it."

"Don't you be too sure," I said. And then, before I could open upon him
on the subject Ukozi opened on me on another.

"Nyamaki is not home again, Iqalaqala?"

I was beginning to get sick of the disappearing Hensley by that time, so
I answered shortly:

"Not yet."

"Ha! The Queen cannot do everything, then. You did not go home that
night, Iqalaqala?"

"I did not. Your _muti_ is great, Ukozi--great enough to stop a horse."

"_Muti_! Who talks of _muti_? I did but foresee. And Umsindo? He,
too, did not reach Nyamaki's house that night?"

"No."

"What is in the water yonder?" he went on, bending over to look into the
pool, for he had squatted himself very near its brink. "It moves."

Both of us followed his gaze, instinctively, eagerly. And by Jove! as
we looked, there arose the same disturbance, the same unwinding of what
seemed like a shining sinuous coil, yet taking no definite shape. Again
it sank, as it had risen, and a hiss of seething bubbles, and the
circling rings radiating to the sides, alone bore witness to what had
happened.

"I declare it's rather uncanny," said my companion. "Does he know what
it is? Ask him."

I put it to Ukozi. We had swum there several times, dived deep down
too, nearly to the bottom, deep as it was, yet we had never been
disturbed by anything. Only to-day, before his arrival, had we seen
this thing for the first time--and that only once. He echoed my