nd a low boom of thunder shivered the still air. A
storm was coming up; probably a heavy one.

"How do you account for this kind of thing?" she said as we regained the
path. "Could he have been passing here at the time I dropped the coin,
and deliberately planned a sort of _coup de theatre_?"

"In that case Arlo would have warned us of his presence. Yet he gave no
sign."

"Of course. And talking about Arlo, wasn't it strange how he seemed not
to mind that man's presence? Why he can hardly be held in when a
strange native comes about."

"Yes. I noticed it. I suppose his instinct must have told him Ukozi
was about to do us a good turn."

She turned towards me, then shook her head.

"You are turning it off, Mr Glanton, I can see that. Yet there is
something rather weird and inexplicable about the whole thing. You
know, I was watching the witch doctor when the reptile or whatever it
was came up in the pool, and it looked just as if he had raised it by
some incantation. It is interesting very--but--rather eerie."

"Oh they have their tricks of the trade, which they don't divulge, you
may be sure. The coin finding was really cleverly worked, however it
was done; for, mind you, he came from quite the contrary direction, and,
as a sheer matter of time, could have been nowhere near the place we
found it in when we turned back."

"It's wonderful certainly, and I'm very glad indeed to have found my
coin again. You must have seen some strange things in the course of
your experience among these people, Mr Glanton? Tell me--what is the
strangest of them?"

"If I were to tell you you wouldn't believe me. Hallo! We'd better
quicken our pace. I suppose you don't want to arrive home wet through."

The thundercloud had spread with amazing speed and blackness. The soft
evening air had become hot and oppressive. Some self-denial was
involved on my part in thus hurrying her, for I would fain have drawn
out this walk alone with her, having now become, as you will say,
Godfrey Glanton complete fool. Yet not such a fool as not to be blessed
with a glimmer of common-sense, and this told me that, woman-like, she
would not thank me for bringing her home in a state of draggled skirt
and dripping, streaming hair, which would inevitably be the case did we
fail to reach the house before the downpour should burst.

We did however so reach it, and there a surprise awaited, to me, I may
as well own, not altogether a pleasa