m tell you I wanted to speak to you?'

'That's why I've come,' answered George.

'You've taken your time about it.'

'I say, could you give me a drink of brandy? I'm awfully done up.'

'There's no brandy left,' answered Alec.

'Hasn't the doctor got some?'

'No.'

There was a long pause. Adamson and Walker did not know what was the
matter; but they saw that there was something serious. They had never
seen Alec so cold, and the doctor, who knew him well, saw that he was
very angry. Alec lifted his eyes again and looked at George slowly.

'Do you know anything about the death of that Turkana woman?' he asked
abruptly.

George did not answer immediately.

'No. How should I?' he said presently.

'Come now, you must know something about it. Last Tuesday you came into
camp and said the Turkana were very much excited.'

'Oh, yes, I remember,' answered George, unwillingly

'Well?'

'I'm not very clear about it. The woman had been shot, hadn't she? One
of the station boys had been playing the fool with her, and he seems to
have shot her.'

'Have you made no attempt to find out which of the station boys it was?'

'I haven't had time,' said George, in a surly way. 'We've all been
worked off our legs during the last three days.'

'Do you suspect no one?'

'I don't think so.'

'Think a moment.'

'The only man who might have done it is that big scoundrel we got on the
coast, the Swahili beggar with one ear.'

'What makes you think that?'

'He's been making an awful nuisance of himself, and I know he's been
running after the women.'

Alec did not take his eyes off George. Walker saw what was coming and
looked down at the ground.

'You'll be surprised to hear that when the woman was found she wasn't
dead.'

George did not move, but his cheeks became if possible more haggard. He
was horribly frightened.

'She didn't die for nearly an hour.'

There was a very short silence. It seemed to George that they must hear
the furious beating of his heart.

'Was she able to say anything?'

'She said you'd shot her,'

'What a damned lie!'

'It appears that _you_ were--playing the fool with her. I don't know why
you quarrelled. You took out your revolver and fired point blank.'

George laughed.

'It's just like these beastly niggers to tell a stupid lie like that.
You wouldn't believe them rather than me, would you? After all, my
word's worth more than theirs.'

Alec quietly took from his pocket the ca