rst puffs of his after
dinner pipe.

"Hear--hear!" sung out Falkner. And then, warmed up into a glow of
generosity by a good dinner and plenty of grog, I'm blest if the fellow
didn't trot out quite a yarn about the cow chevying him and my timely
assegai throw; whereupon there was a disposition to make a hero of me on
the spot.

"Pooh! The thing was nothing at all," I objected. "An everyday affair,
if you're working with unbroken cattle."

Yet there was one face which expressed more than the others, expressed
in fact unbounded approval, as it was turned full on me with that
straight frank gaze, and I exulted inwardly, but then came a thought
that dashed everything and was as a judgment upon my quite unwarrantable
conceit. This was it. What if they are engaged, and that full, frank
look of approval is one of gratitude that I should have saved--if not
the life of the other--at any rate the certainty of him being badly
injured? It is singular that no such idea had ever occurred to me
before, but it did now, and seemed to lend significance to certain signs
of resentment and ill-will which I had noticed on Falkner's part on
occasions where his cousin was concerned. And the thought was a
thoroughly disquieting one, I admit.

"Listen! Here they come," I said, holding up a hand. "The
entertainment is about to begin."

The distant and deep-toned hum of conversation had reached us from where
our dusky entertainers were enjoying their feast, and an occasional
outburst of laughter. Now, instead, came the regular rhythm of a savage
song, drawing nearer and nearer.

"I think we can't do better than let them perform just in front here," I
went on. "The ground's open, and the moon almost as bright as day."

This was agreed to enthusiastically, and soon the singing grew louder
and louder, and the whole body in their picturesque gear, came marching
up, beating time upon their shields with sticks and assegai hafts. They
halted in half moon formation and one man stepping out from the rest,
gave the sign for silence. Then having saluted us with much _sibongo_,
he led off, in a sort of chant, loud and clear at first, then rising
higher and higher. The others took it up at a given point in response,
and although the song did not run to many notes, it was soon thundered
aloud in a harmonious wave of sound. When it had attained its highest
pitch, at a sign from the _choragus_ it ceased--ceased with such
suddenness as to i