eeping plains, even in the red lines of
ochre-smeared savages filing along the narrow tracks leading to or from
their respective locations. Her heart sang within her as once more the
horses' heads were turned homeward. Any hour now might bring _him_.
Why, by the time they reached home _he_ might have arrived, or at any
rate an express hurried on in advance to announce the arrival of the
corps by nightfall.

"Rangers arrived?" repeated in reply to Mrs Hoste's eager question, one
of two acquaintances whom they met upon the road when within a mile of
the village. "N-no, not yet. They can't be far off, though. Three or
four of their men have come in--Shelton among them."

"Oh, thanks, so much!" cried both the ladies, apparently equally eager.
"We had better get on as soon as we can. Good-day."

In the fullness of her joy, the clouded expression and hesitating speech
accompanying the information had quite escaped Eanswyth--nor had it
struck her friend either. Then laughing and chatting in the highest of
spirits, they had driven past the conversing groups upon the _stoep_ of
the hotel, as we have seen.

The trap had been outspanned, and the horses turned loose into the
_veldt_. The household were about to sit down to dinner. Suddenly the
doorway was darkened and a head was thrust in--a black and dusty head,
surmounted by the remnant of a ragged hat.

"Morrow, missis!" said the owner of this get-up, holding out a scrap of
paper folded into a note. Mrs Hoste opened it carelessly--then a sort
of gasp escaped her, and her face grew white.

"Where--where is your _Baas_!" she stammered.

"_La pa_," replied the native boy, pointing down the street.

Flurried, and hardly knowing what she was about, Mrs Hoste started to
follow the messenger. Eanswyth had gone to her room to remove her hat,
fortunately.

"Oh, Mr Shelton--is it true?" she cried breathlessly, coming right upon
the sender of the missive, who was waiting at no great distance from the
house. "Is it really true? Can it be? What awful news! Oh, it will
kill her! What shall we do?"

"Try and be calm, Mrs Hoste," said Shelton gravely. "There is no doubt
about its truth, I am sorry to say. It is fortunate you had not heard
the first report of the affair which arrived here. All four of them
were rumoured killed, I'm told. But--No, don't be alarmed," he added,
hastily interrupting an impending outburst. "Your husband is quite
safe, and will be here