was. He was filled with delight at the sight of Ixeshane and his
eyes felt good. His "father" and his "friend" had been away for many
moons, but now he was back again and the night was lighter than the day.
His "father" could see, too, how he had kept his trust, the old man
went on. Where were the houses of all the other white _amakosi_! Heaps
of ashes. The house of his "father" alone was standing--it alone the
torch had passed by. As for the destruction which had taken place
within it, that could not be prevented. The people "saw red." It had
taxed the utmost effort of himself and Ncanduku to preserve the house.
Reft of hyperbole, his narrative was plain enough. A marauding band had
made a descent upon the place on the very night they had quitted it,
and, although with difficulty dissuaded from burning it down, the
savages had wrecked the furniture and looted the stores, as we have
shown. This, however, was comparatively a small evil.

Hoste, wearied with all this talk, which moreover he understood but
imperfectly, had waxed restive and strolled away. No sooner was he out
of earshot than Josane, sinking his voice, remarked suddenly:

"Xalasa is a fool!"

Eustace merely assented. He saw that something was coming, and prepared
to listen attentively.

"Do you want to find Umlilwane?" went on the old Kafir with ever so
slight an expression on the "want."

"Of course I do," was the unhesitating reply. But for the space of half
a minute the white man and the savage gazed fixedly into each other's
faces in the starlight.

"_Au_! If I had known that!" muttered Josane in a disappointed tone.
"If I had known that, I could have told you all that Xalasa has--_could
have told you many moons ago_."

"You knew it, then?"

"Yes."

"And is it true--that--that he is alive now?"

"Yes."

"But, Josane, how is it you kept your knowledge to yourself? He might
have been rescued all this time. Now it may be too late."

"_Whau_, Ixeshane! Did _you_ want him rescued?" said the old fellow
shrewdly. "Did the _Inkosikazi_ want him rescued?"

This was putting matters with uncomfortable plainness. Eustace reddened
in the darkness.

"Whatever we `wanted,' or did not want, is nothing," he answered. "This
is a matter of life and death. He must be rescued."

"As you will," was the reply in a tone which implied that in the
speaker's opinion the white man was a lunatic. And from his point of
view such was really