big glass
shade.

"You're very complete, Bones," he said approvingly. "In what branch of
science are you dabbling?"

"Tropical diseases, sir," said Bones promptly, and lifted the shade.
"I'm hopin' you'll allow me to have a look at your blood after tea."

"Thank you," said Sanders. "You had better practise on Hamilton."

"Don't come near me!" threatened Hamilton.

It was Patricia who, when the tea-things had been removed, played the
heroine.

"Take mine," she said, and extended her hand.

Bones found a needle, and sterilized it in the flame of a spirit lamp.

"This won't hurt you," he quavered, and brought the point near the
white, firm flesh. Then he drew it back again.

"This won't hurt you, dear old miss," he croaked, and repeated the
performance.

He stood up and wiped his streaming brow.

"I haven't the heart to do it," he said dismally.

"A pretty fine doctor you are, Bones!" she scoffed, and took the needle
from his hand. "There!"

Bones put the tiny crimson speck between his slides, blobbed a drop of
oil on top, and focussed the microscope.

He looked for a long time, then turned a scared face to the girl.

"Sleepin' sickness, poor dear old Miss Hamilton!" he gasped. "You're
simply full of tryps! Good Lord! What a blessin' for you I discovered
it!"

Sanders pushed the young scientist aside and looked. When he turned his
head, the girl saw his face was white and drawn, and for a moment a
sense of panic overcame her.

"You silly ass," growled the Commissioner, "they aren't trypnosomes! You
haven't cleaned the infernal eyepiece!"

"Not trypnosomes?" said Bones.

"You seem disappointed, Bones," said Hamilton.

"As a man, I'm overjoyed," replied Bones gloomily; "as a scientist, it's
a set-back, dear old officer--a distinct set-back."

The house-warming lasted a much shorter time than the host had intended.
This was largely due to the failure of a very beautiful experiment which
he had projected. In order that the rare and wonderful result at which
he aimed should be achieved, Bones had the hut artificially darkened,
and they sat in a hot and sticky blackness, whilst he knocked over
bottles and swore softly at the instruments his groping hand could not
discover. And the end of the experiment was a large, bad smell.

"The women and children first," said Hamilton, and dived for the door.

They took farewell of Bones at a respectful distance.

Hamilton went across to the Houssa lines, and S