his I
was not sorry, for although Falkner and I had grown accustomed to each
other, yet there were times when I could cheerfully accept a holiday
from his presence.

Darker and darker it grew. The oxen were driven in and fastened to the
trek chain for the night, and the boys, lying snug under the shelter
they had rigged up by means of a large sail thrown over the buck waggon,
leaving one side between the wheels open, were chatting in their
rhythmical deep-voiced hum, and the fire they had built not far from the
opening glowing more and more redly as the gloom deepened. Then their
talk suddenly ceased, as out of the darkness appeared a tall figure,
saluting.

"What have you there?" I said, as the new arrival began fumbling for
something in his skin pouch.

"_Incwadi 'Nkose_," he answered.

I own to a thrill of excited expectation very foreign to my normally
placid way of taking things, for _incwadi_ is the word for a letter or a
token of any kind. I could hardly restrain my eagerness to open the
packet carefully sewn up in oilskin, which the man now handed me. Aida
Sewin, then, had availed herself of the means of correspondence which I
had arranged, but--what if this were not addressed to me after all, but
only to Falkner? and at the thought my anticipations fell. Still it
would be good to hear, anyhow. The rather startling incident of a few
hours ago was driven clean from my mind now.

I climbed into the tent waggon and lighted the lantern which hung from
the tent, and you may be sure it didn't take me long to unroll the
oilskin wrapping. Two letters it contained--one for Falkner and one for
myself--the latter in the handwriting I knew, and one that a reader of
character from handwriting would assuredly not have reported upon
unfavourably. Having once satisfied myself on the point, I believe I
was in no hurry to open it. The pleasures of anticipation, you see,
counted for something with me still.

Then came another phase in the above. I drew from the envelope several
sheets rather closely written. Why, this was too much luck. I glanced
quickly through them to ascertain that the whole of it was for me, but
resolved not to anticipate the contents in any way. More than ever was
I glad now that Falkner had not returned. I could well do without his
somewhat boisterous company for the next half-hour, or even longer.
Then I spread open the sheets before me, and by the somewhat dim light
of the waggon lan