y the Asiki had postponed their attack. Just
then a clamour arose in the air, and he perceived Jeekie striding
towards him waving one arm in an excited fashion, while with the other
he dragged along the captain of the porters, who appeared to be praying
for mercy.

"Here pretty go, Major," he shouted, "devil and all to pay! That my
Lord, he gone and bolted. This silly fool say that three hours ago he
hear something break through fence and think it only hyaena what come
to steal, so take no notice. Well, that hyaena, you guess who he is. You
come look, Major, you come look, and then we tie this fellow up and flog
him."

Alan ran to Aylward's tent to find it empty.

"Look," said Jeekie, who had followed, "see how he do business, that
jolly clever hyaena," and he pointed to a broken whisky bottle and some
severed cords. "You see he manage break bottle and rub rope against cut
glass till it come in two. Then he do hyaena dodge and hook it."

Alan inspected the articles, nor did any shadow of doubt enter his mind.

"Certainly he managed very well," he said, "especially for a London-bred
man, but, Jeekie, what can have been his object?"

"Oh! who know, Major? Mind of man very strange and various thing; p'raps
he no bear to see you and Miss Barbara together; p'raps he bolt coast,
get ear of local magistrate before you; p'raps he sit up tree to shoot
you; p'raps nasty temper make him mad. But he gone any way, and I hope
he no meet Asiki, poor fellow, 'cause if so, who know? P'raps they knock
him on head, or if they think him you, they make him prisoner and keep
him quite long while before they let him go again."

"Well," said Alan, "he has gone of his own free will, so we have no
responsibility in the matter, and I can't pretend that I am sorry to
see the last of him, at any rate for the present. Let that poor beggar
loose, there seems to have been enough flogging in this place, and after
all he isn't much to blame."

Jeekie obeyed, apparently with much reluctance, and just then they saw
one of their own people running towards the camp.

"'Fraid he going to tell us Asiki come attack," said Jeekie, shaking his
head. "Hope they give us time breakfast first."

"No doubt," answered Alan nervously, for he feared the result of that
attack.

Then the man arrived breathless and began to gasp out his news, which
filled Alan with delight and caused a look of utter amazement to appear
upon the broad face of Jeekie. It was to