ut toll taken. Remember the oath of Maduna,
Lady, in the hour of your need, and do you, my brother, bear witness to
it among our people."

Then, straightening themselves as well as they were able, these two
sorely hurt men lifted their right arms and gave Benita the salute
due to a chieftainess. This done, taking no note of any other creature
there, they limped away to the gate that had been opened for them, and
vanished beyond the wall.

All this while Meyer had stood silent; now he spoke with a bitter smile.

"Charity, Miss Clifford, said a certain Paul, as reported in your New
Testament, covers a multitude of sins. I hope very much that it will
serve to cover our remains from the aasvogels, after we have met our
deaths in some such fashion as that brute promised us," and he pointed
to the dead man.

Benita looked at her father in question.

"Mr. Meyer means, my dear, that you have done a foolish thing in begging
the lives of those Matabele. It would have been safer for us if they
were dead, who, as it is, have gone off burning for revenge. Of course,
I understand it was natural enough, but----" and he hesitated and
stopped.

"The chief did not say so," broke in Benita with agitation; "besides, if
he had, I should not have cared. It was bad enough to see one man killed
like that," and she shivered; "I could not bear any more."

"You should not be angry at the fellow's death, seeing that it was what
he said of you which brought it upon him," Meyer replied with meaning.
"Otherwise he might have gone unharmed as far as I was concerned. For
the rest, I did not interfere because I saw it was useless; also I am
a fatalist like our friend, the Molimo, and believe in what is decreed.
The truth is," he added sharply, "among savages ladies are not in
place."

"Why did you not say that down at Rooi Krantz, Jacob?" asked Mr.
Clifford. "You know I thought so all the while, but somehow I was
over-ruled. Now what I suggest is, that we had better get out of this
place as fast as we can--instantly, as soon as we have eaten, before our
retreat is cut off."

Meyer looked at the oxen which had been outspanned: nine were wandering
about picking up what food they could, but the five which were supposed
to have been bitten by tetsefly had lain down.

"Nine worn-out and footsore oxen will not draw the waggon," he said;
"also in all probability the place is already surrounded by Matabele,
who merely let us in to be sure of the gu