ness akin to rudeness.

"_Daag_! Adrian!" cried the latter, reining in.

"_Daag_!" answered the young Boer gruffly, without reining in, and
continuing his way.

"You want a lesson in manners, my young friend," said Colvin to himself,
feeling excusably nettled. "Well, well!" he added. "The poor devil's
jealous, and of course hates me like poison. I suppose I should do the
same."

Thus lightly did he pass it off. He would not have done so perhaps
could he at that moment have seen the other's face, have read the
other's mind. A savage scowl clouded the former, black and deadly
hatred seethed through the latter.

"Wait a bit, you _verdomde rooinek_!" snarled the Boer to himself.
"Your days are told. They may be counted by weeks now, and not many of
_them_. These accursed English--is it not enough that they rule our
land and treat us like Kafirs, without coming between us and those we
love? Their time of reckoning will be here directly--and of this one
too. He little knows--he little knows, that he will be dead in a few
weeks. No-no!"

He said truly. The object of this murderous though not altogether
unjustifiable hatred was holding on his way through the sweet golden
sunshine, little thinking of the dread ordeal of blood and horror
through which he, and some of those with whom his fate was bound up,
were soon--and very soon--to pass.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

"OF GREAT PRICE."

That visit to the Wenlocks had been productive of result in more
directions than one; still, why should it have affected Aletta De la Rey
of all people? Yet affect her it did, inasmuch as, after it, she became
more happy and light-hearted than ever.

Little had she thought at the time of carelessly suggesting the idea to
her mother that such could possibly be the result. But weeks had gone
by since the suggestion was made, and the lapse of weeks has sometimes a
curious way of bringing about changes and developments by no means to be
foreseen by those most concerned therein; which for present purposes may
be taken to mean that she and Colvin Kershaw had by this time seen a
great deal of each other. And this period Aletta, for her part, looked
back upon with vivid and unalloyed pleasure.

He had been a great deal at Ratels Hoek during that time, so much so as
to lay her open to considerable chaff at the hands of her sisters,
notably at those of Condaas, who declared that it was "a case," in that
he had never been known to fav