er game there," chuckled the old man,
significantly. "Yes, bigger game than ever Slaang Kloof can find you.
Think there's anything in these reports, Greenoak?"

"Never can tell. I happen to know there is a simmer stirring all the
border tribes. It'll depend on how the thing's handled."

"If Mr Greenoak has the handling of it, things won't go very wrong,
Uncle Eph," interrupted Hazel.

"Now, Miss Brandon, you are either chaffing me or giving me credit for
powers of magic which I don't possess," protested the object of this
exordium.

"I'm doing neither," replied the girl, confidently.

Dick Selmes restrained an impulse to look quickly up--they were at
table. Of late Hazel seemed never tired of booming Greenoak, he told
himself, and now all her talks with himself came up. These, somehow,
always led round to Greenoak.

He looked with renewed interest at his guide and mentor. The latter was
a splendid fellow, as the girl had more than once declared, but--
elderly; easily old enough to be her father. Now he, Dick Selmes, had
been coming to the conclusion that life apart from Hazel Brandon was
going to be a very poor affair.

The propinquity had done it--that, and the bright, sweet charms of the
girl herself. He had been realising that the time must come when they
would have to part, and now that it had come, why, he would put his
fortune to the test. Surely it could have but one issue. They had been
so much together, long rides, long rambles, or wandering about among the
bush solitudes, and they had always agreed so well. She had always
shown such pleasure in his company, surely she would accept it for life.
And then came the discomforting thought that just of late they had not
been so much together. That morning, for instance, she had insisted on
him going away from her for half the day, while she rambled off with
Greenoak. What did it mean? Poor Dick began to feel very sore, and
partly so with Greenoak. Well, he would put matters to the test, and
that at once.

But this was not so easy, for the simple reason that he found no
opportunity, and did not know how to make one. Hazel was as bright and
cordial as ever, but affected to be busy, and there was no means of
getting her alone to himself. All the good understanding between them
seemed to have evaporated. She was avoiding him--deliberately avoiding
him--there could be no doubt about that.

In his soreness and disgust he seized his gun, and sta