ss
humped and crouching in the surrounding blackness. There was not a ray of
light from the sky, and now and again came the drum--

"Boom--boom."

Then it ceased, and a bat passed so close that the wind of it stirred his
hair. He spat the taint of it from his mouth, and returning to the house,
seated himself at the table and continued his work.

But the night was to be fateful in sounds and surprises. He had not been
sitting five minutes when a voice from the blackness outside made him drop
his pen and listen.

It was a European voice, shouting and raving and laughing, and Meeus, as
he listened, clutched at the table, for the voice was known to him. It was
the voice of Berselius!

Berselius, who was hundreds of miles away in the elephant country!

Meeus heard his own name. It came in to him out of the darkness, followed
by a peal of laughter. Rapid steps sounded coming across the courtyard,
and the sweat ran from Meeus's face and his stomach crawled as, with a
bound across the veranda, a huge man framed himself in the doorway and
stood motionless as a statue.

For the first moment Meeus did not recognize Adams. He was filthy and
tattered, he wore no coat, and his hunting shirt was open at the neck, and
the arms of it rolled up above the elbows.

Adams, for the space of ten seconds, stood staring at Meeus from under his
pith helmet. The face under the helmet seemed cast from bronze.

Then he came in and shut the door behind him, walked to the table, took
Meeus by the coat at the back of the neck, and lifted him up as a man
lifts a dog by the scruff.

For a moment it seemed as if he were going to kill the wretched man
without word or explanation, but he mastered himself with a supreme
effort, put him down, took the vacant seat at the table and cried:

"Stand before me there."

Meeus stood. He held on to the table with his left hand and with his right
he made pawing movements in the air.

The big man seated at the table did not notice. He sat for a few seconds
with both hands clasped together, one making a cup for the other, just as
a man might sit about to make a speech and carefully considering his
opening words.

Then he spoke.

"_Did you kill those people by the Silent Pools?_"

Meeus made no reply, but drew a step back and put out his hand, as if
fending the question off, as if asking for a moment in which to explain.
He had so many things to say, so many reasons to give, but he could say
nothing,