when they had dismounted. "May, you've heard me talk
of this young man--we were shipmates on board the _Amatikulu_. Why,
what's the matter?"

For Gerard was staring in astonishment, and the girl's blue eyes were
opening wide with the same emotion, while a slight colour came into her
face. And in those blue eyes Gerard recognised the identical pair which
had beamed approval on the deft manner in which he had reduced the odds
against the sorely beset Zulu.

"Why, we've met before, father, only we didn't know who we were then,"
she answered. "How do you do, Mr Ridgeley? Welcome to Doorn Draai."

Gerard, in a sort of waking dream, took the hand extended to him--in no
wise the sharer of the girl's quiet self-possession. To think that the
owner of those blue eyes which had been in his thoughts a great deal
since that chance meeting, should turn out to be old Kingsland's
daughter! And again, the fact that they had dwelt in his thoughts was,
considering his age, enough to play havoc with his composure on finding
himself thus suddenly and unexpectedly face to face with their owner.

"Met before, have you?" echoed Mr Kingsland, in some surprise.

"Why, of course we have," said a male voice in the background. "How
d'you do, Mr Ridgeley!"

And Gerard found himself shaking hands with the other occupant of the
buggy on that memorable evening.

"Been keeping up your boxing since then, eh?" laughed Tom Kingsland.
"Why, governor, this is the man who floored those two niggers so neatly.
I told you about it, you remember, when we were coming back from
Maritzburg."

"Ah, to be sure, to be sure. He can take care of himself anywhere now,
I should think," said the older man, kindly.

And Gerard, though somewhat shy and embarrassed at finding himself a
sort of point of general observation, could not resist a feeling of
elation over the consciousness that he stood well in the opinion of his
new friends.

Then, after a brief rest, during which Dawes and Mr Kingsland put away
a glass of grog together and smoked a pipe or two, they set out for a
look round. And then for the first time Gerard was able to take in the
place--for at the time of his arrival he had had no eyes for anything
but one of its inhabitants. The house, a roomy, one-storeyed building,
with a _stoep_ and verandah, stood against the slope of the hill. A
little distance off stood the sheep and cattle-kraals, and the huts of
the native servants. Below, on t