ress upon her that the ground around
the place was quite open, and that there were pickets posted at
intervals where the not very thick bush began. She was obdurate--as he
knew she would be.

The question of making some sort of patrol had been discussed, but it
had been decided that it was not worth the risk. Their force was none
too strong to defend the place if attacked by numbers, which was very
likely to happen, for the Kezane was one of the largest and most
important stores along the line of coaches, and was always well supplied
with everything likely to tempt the cupidity of the savages. A patrol
might venture too far and in the wrong direction, and get cut off; then
what a serious weakening of their forces that would mean. So pickets
were posted instead.

"Then you haven't awoke to the conclusion you were rather hasty last
night, Clare?"

"Have you?" she answered sweetly.

"Good God! Need you ask? But it is a fitting reply to an idiotic
question."

"Don't be profane, and don't call yourself undeserved names, dearest.
But you don't look as if you had had any sleep. Have you?"

"Oh, I don't know. I suppose I couldn't have slept if I'd tried," he
said, the soft caressing solicitude of the remark stirring through his
whole being. "But that'll all come right. I'm hard as nails,
remember."

"I should think you were," flashing up at him another admiring glance.
"Oh, darling, I loved to see you yesterday. The sight of you went far
to neutralise all the horrors of the situation."

"Don't, don't," he said, rather unsteadily, positively intoxicated with
the sweetness of her tones, her looks. "Don't quite try to give me
`swelled head' as those good chaps were trying to do last night.
Because _you_ might succeed, you know."

"You could never get that. But--I have something to say to you, and I
don't believe you're going to grant me the very first thing I've ever
asked you."

"And that--?"

"I want you not to run into danger any more. You belong to me now--we
belong to each other. If this is going to be a regular war--perhaps a
long one--there can be no necessity for you to take part in it--I mean,
to join expeditions, and all that. You will be helping quite enough by
staying to defend Gandela, and taking care of me."

He looked troubled.

"Oh, Clare, my darling one, what shall I say? Do you know, last night
all these good fellows formed themselves into the nucleus of a corps on
condition th