igures
moving in an unusual manner, and desired to know what they were doing. I
began to walk towards them, and Hans, for his part, began to try to drag
me in an opposite direction, uttering all sorts of gibberish as to the
necessity of my running away. But I would not be dragged; indeed, I
struck at him, until at last, with an exclamation of despair, he let go
of me and vanished.

So I went on alone. I came to my house, or what I thought resembled
it, and there saw a figure lying on its face on the ground some ten or
fifteen yards to the right of the doorway, and noted abstractedly that
it was dressed in my clothes. The Vrouw Prinsloo, in her absurd night
garments, was waddling towards the figure, and a little way off stood
Hernan Pereira, apparently in the act of reloading a double-barrelled
gun. Beyond, staring at him, stood the lantern-faced Henri Marais,
pulling at his long beard with one hand and holding a rifle in the
other. Behind were two saddled horses in the charge of a raw Kaffir, who
looked on stupidly.

The Vrouw Prinsloo reached the body that lay upon the ground dressed
in what resembled my clothes, and bending down her stout shape with
an effort, turned it over. She glared into its face and then began to
shriek.

"Come here, Henri Marais," she shrieked, "come, see what your beloved
nephew has done! You had a daughter who was all your life to you, Henri
Marais. Well, come, look at her after your beloved nephew has finished
his work with her!"

Henri Marais advanced slowly like one who does not understand. He stood
over the body on the ground, and looked down upon it through the morning
mists.

Then suddenly he went mad. His broad hat fell from his head, and his
long hair seemed to stand up. Also his beard grew big and bristled like
the feathers of a bird in frosty weather. He turned on Hernan Pereira.
"You devil!" he shouted, and his voice sounded like the roar of a wild
beast; "you devil, you have murdered my daughter! Because you could
not get Marie for yourself, you have murdered her. Well, I will pay you
back!"

Without more ado he lifted his gun and fired straight at Hernan Pereira,
who sank slowly to the ground and lay there groaning.

Just then I grew aware that horsemen were advancing upon us, a great
number of horsemen, though whence they came at that time I did not know.
One of these I recognised even in my half-drunken state, for he had
impressed himself very vividly upon my mind. He