of his mother, also of one of his
sisters, whom, after you, he loves best of anyone in the whole world.
When you are here he talks of them, but when you are not here he talks
of no one but you. Although he is so sick he remembers white man's
custom, which tells him that it is very wrong to say sweet things to
lady's face till he is quite married to her. After that they say them
always."

She looked at him suspiciously and muttering, "Here it is otherwise. For
your own sake, man, I trust that you do not lie," left him, and
drawing a stool up beside Alan's bed, sat herself down and examined him
carefully, touching his face and hands with her long thin fingers.
Then noting how white and wasted he was, of a sudden she began to weep,
saying between her sobs:

"Oh! if you should die, Vernoon, I will die also and be born again not
as Asika, as I have been for so many generations, but as a white woman
that I may be with you. Only first," she added, setting her teeth, "I
will sacrifice every wizard in this land, for they have brought the
sickness on you by their magic, and I will burn Bonsa-town and cast its
gods to melt in the flames, and the Mungana with them. And then amid
their ashes I will let out my life," and again she began to weep very
piteously and to call him by endearing names and pray him that he would
not die.

Now Alan thought it time to wake up. He opened his eyes, stared at her
vacantly, and asked if it were raining, which indeed it might have been,
for her big tears were falling on his face. She uttered a gasp of joy.

"No, no," she answered, "the weather is very fine. It is I--I who have
rained because I thought you die." She wiped his forehead with the soft
linen of her robe, then went on, "But you will not die; say that you
will live, say that you will live for me, Vernoon."

He looked at her, and feeble though he was, the awfulness of the
situation sank into his soul.

"I hope that I shall live," he answered. "I am hungry, please give me
some food."

Next instant there was a tumult near by, and when Alan looked up again
it was to see Jeekie, very lightly clad, flying through the door.

"It will be here presently," she said. "Oh! if you knew what I have
suffered, if you only knew. Now you will recover whom I thought dead,
for this fever passes quickly and there shall be such a sacrifice--no, I
forgot, you hate sacrifices--there shall be no sacrifice, there shall
be a thanksgiving, and every woman