nd this danger belt, however,
there would be little or no risk, for, after that, the country was
sparsely populated, and its inhabitants less disaffected. So the
programme before these two was to push on for all they knew how, so as
to get over the more risky portion of their ride under cover of night.

This being the case, it might have seemed a little strange that, having
arrived at a point about five miles from camp, where the far from
distinct waggon track forked into two, they should have reined in their
horses, and sat listening.

"Tell you what, Sandgate," muttered Stokes, cramming a quid of tobacco
into his mouth--under the circumstances, for obvious reasons, the pipe
must be foregone with stern self-denial. "Tell you what. It's no good
our waiting. He won't come. He's thought better of it. Greenoak's
likely turned up again and stopped it."

Both men sat for a couple of minutes longer, their feet kicked loose
from their stirrups. Then, as they were on the point of resuming their
way, a sound caught their ears--the tread of a horse, on the way they
had just come over.

"Hallo, you fellows! About given me up, I suppose?" said Dick Selmes in
a low, excited tone, as he rode up.

"We were just going to," answered Stokes, who was inclined to be short
of speech and a bit sour towards so obvious a specimen of the gilded
youth as this one. "And, I say, if you could keep that confounded brute
of yours from jingling that swagger bit so as to be heard all over the
Gudhluka Reserve, why, it'd be just as well."

"He'll be all right directly, soon as he's let off a little more steam,"
said Sandgate, good-humouredly, with a glance of approval at Dick's
spirited and well-groomed mount, which, in sheer enjoyment of the fresh
freedom of the veldt, was tossing his head and blowing off clouds of
vapour upon the cool night air.

That Dick Selmes had been able to join the two express-riders had
involved some plotting; for, from the moment he had heard of their
errand, incidentally through Inspector Chambers, to whose troop they
belonged, he had firmly made up his mind that join them he would. But,
on putting this to the Inspector, that worthy had promptly vetoed the
whole business--subsequently compromising, however, by suggesting that
the matter be submitted to the Commandant.

The latter, however, a fine old frontiersman born and bred, took a
different view. He was a reserved, undemonstrative man, but had taken a