anaged to tolerate with every semblance of, at any
rate, contentment, until he himself had laid siege to the castle of her
outwardly calm, but glowingly passionate nature, and had carried it by
storm, by a single _coup de main_.

And now? How could she ever resume that old contented toleration, how
relegate himself to an outside place. Every look--every word of hers--
during that last walk, when he had come upon her so unexpectedly--every
sweet and clinging caress during that last parting, was burnt into his
memory as with red-hot irons. And now it seemed that the curtain must
be rung down on everything. Tom Carhayes was returning in rude health;
louder, more boastful, a more aggressive personality than ever. Let the
very heavens fall!

A change had come over Eustace. He became moody and taciturn, at times
strangely irritable for one of his equable temperament. This was
noticed by many; wondered at by some.

"Why, what's the row with you, old chap!" said Carhayes one day in his
bluff, off-hand manner. "Sick and sorry that we can't scare up another
fight, eh?"

"Milne's conscience is hitting him hard over the number of his `blanket
friends' he has shot already. Ha, ha!" cut in another man, with an
asinine guffaw.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Kaffrarian Rangers were ordered home. The order reached them in
their camp on the Bashi, and forthwith they acted upon it. No
preparations delayed the setting out of such a light-marching-order
corps. Accordingly the breakfasts were cooked and eaten, the camp was
struck, and the whole troop started upon its homeward way.

"I say, Hoste!" said Carhayes, while they were breakfasting on boiled
mealies and ration beef. "What do you say to a shoot before we leave
this? We are bound to get a bushbuck ram or two in some of these
kloofs."

"Haven't you shot away enough cartridges yet, Tom?" laughed Hoste.
"Still I think we might try for a buck if only for a change after the
niggers; besides, we can eat the buck, which is part of the change. I'm
on. What do you say, Payne? Will you cut in?"

"What do I say? I say it's the most damn idiotic idea I ever heard
mooted," answered Payne sententiously. "Still--I'll cut in."

"All right. We'll have some sport then!" said Carhayes. "You'll come,
too, Eustace? That's right," as Eustace nodded assent. "That'll make
four of us--we don't want any more," he went on. "We c