ton picked clean by the great brown kites that frequent
the bush-veld, some of which still sat about in the trees.

"Well, I suppose we must go on to Tampel," said Anscombe rather
faintly, for I could see that his wound was giving him a good
deal of pain.

As he spoke from round the tree whence he had first emerged,
appeared Mr. Marnham, riding the same horse and wearing the same
clothes. The only difference between his two entries was that
the first took place in the late evening and the second in the
early morning.

"So here you are again," he said cheerfully.

"Yes," I answered, "and it is strange to meet you at the same
spot. Were you expecting us?"

"Not more than I expect many things," he replied with a shrewd
glance at me, adding, "I always rise with the sun, and thinking
that I heard a shot fired in the distance, came to see what was
happening. The Basutos attacked you at daybreak, did they not?"

"They did, but how did you know that, Mr. Marnham?"

"Your servants told me. I met them running to the house looking
very frightened. You are wounded, Mr. Anscombe?"

"Yes, a couple of days ago on the border of Sekukuni's country
where the natives tried to murder us."

"Ah!" he replied without surprise. "I warned you the trip was
dangerous, did I not? Well, come on home where my partner, Rodd,
who luckily has had medical experience, will attend to you. Mr.
Quatermain can tell me the story as we go."

So we went on up the long slope, I relating our adventures, to
which Mr. Marnham listened without comment.

"I expect that the Kaffirs will have looted the wagon and be on
the way home with your oxen by now," he said when I had finished.

"Are you not afraid that they will follow us here?" I asked.

"Oh no, Mr. Quatermain. We do business with these people, also
they sometimes come to be doctored by Rodd when they are sick, so
this place is sacred ground to them. They stopped hunting you
when they got to the Yellow-wood swamp where our land begins, did
they not?"

"Yes, but now I want to hunt them. Can you give me any help?
Those oxen are tired out and footsore, so we might be able to
catch them up."

He shook his head. "We have very few people here, and by the
time that you could get assistance from the Camp at Barberton, if
the Commandant is able and willing to give you any, which I
rather doubt, they will be far away. Moreover," he added,
dropping his voice, "let us come to an understand