ot care to tackle this job alone, but if I
can take another man with me, I am on."

"Then you will only get half of the five hundred pounds, and will not
be able to buy the farm. You need not be afraid; you can shoot him
without his seeing you."

"No," said Langley after a pause. "I will not go alone, but if you will
let me take another man with me, it can be managed. It will make no
difference to you; you will get your twenty-five pounds."

"And how about my going to live on the farm with you?"

"Well, I could not buy the farm for two hundred and fifty pounds. Come,
we will give you fifty pounds instead of twenty-five."

Ghamba thought for a while and then said;

"Very well, I consent. But there need be only one other man, and you
will write down on a piece of paper that you will give me the fifty
pounds. When can we start?"

"I must speak to the other man, and then we wilt apply for leave. We
had better start soon, or else Umhlonhlo may have gone to some other
place of hiding."

"Yes, we must lose no time."

"All right, meet me here tomorrow and I will bring my friend. We will
then settle all about it."

"You must not mention this matter to any one else, and you must make
your friend promise to keep the secret."

"Oh, that's all right," said Langley; "meet me here to-morrow just
after dinner."

Langley went back to camp, Ghamba looking after his retreating figure
with a smile that revealed his teeth in a very striking manner. Langley
was intensely excited, and exacted (quite unnecessarily) the most
solemn promises from Whitson not to divulge the great secret which he
confided to him. Whitson agreed at once to join in the enterprise,
which was one after his own heart.

Next day the three met at the big ant-heap, and Whitson was very much
impressed by Ghamba's teeth. He told Langley afterwards that they
reminded him of a picture of the Devil which he had seen in a copy of
the "Pilgrim's Progress." The old man's story appeared, however,
consistent enough, in spite of his peculiar dentition.

So after a short conversation Langley and Whitson returned to camp,
having made an appointment to meet Ghamba again on the following
morning at sunrise, so as to finally arrange as to time of starting,
&c. They went at once to the officer in charge of the detachment and
applied for ten days' leave of absence for the purpose of proceeding to
Pietermaritzburg, which was at once granted.

Next morning they met Ghamba