by Marian's unconcern, Violet consented to lie
down. Mrs Selwood betook herself to her children's room.

The moon mounted higher and higher to the zenith, flooding the land with
an eerie and chastened half-light. The monotonous chirrup of the
tree-frog, the shrill baying of a pair of hunting jackals, the
occasional cry of a nightbird mournfully echoing from the mountain side,
floated to the watcher's ear. Unremitting in his vigilance, Renshaw
moved silently from room to room, his unerring eye scanning the ground
at every point, and keeping his sable lieutenant up to the mark, lest
that worthy should be tempted to doze. But Gomfana, who was armed with
an axe and some assegais taken from a wall trophy, was rather thirsting
for the encounter than otherwise.

Some hundred and fifty yards from the main dwelling was a large outhouse
block, comprising stables, waggon shed, shearing house, etc. On this
point Renshaw's attention was mainly concentrated. He felt sure that
the miscreants would take advantage of the shadow of this building to
creep up as near as they could. Another point that needed watching was
the thick quince hedge which skirted the garden, and which now afforded
a shade congenial to the assailants' movements.

Nothing is more trying to the nerves than a lonely nocturnal vigil.
Most men, brave enough in actual danger, would have felt the "creepy"
effect of those silent hours as they strained their eyes upon the
surrounding veldt, now construing a shadow into an enemy--now hearing a
whisper of voices, the tread of a stealthy footstep--in the varying and
spectral sounds of the night. But Renshaw's solitary and wandering life
had inured him to these things. His chief considerations now were,
firstly lest the drowsy feeling, which he was doing his utmost to
combat, should tend to dim his vigilance; secondly, the stilling of his
cravings for just one carefully guarded pipe.

Suddenly the faintest possible creak of a footfall on the floor behind
him. He turned like lightning.

"It's only me," whispered a soft voice. And a tall figure approached in
the gloom.

"Marian! Why are you not lying down with the rest?"

"They're all asleep now, even Violet, Look, I've brought you some
sandwiches. You hardly ate anything when you came in. You set to work
upon them at once, and I'll mount sentry while you are having supper."

"How good of you!" he said, taking the plate from her, and also the
glass of bra