rise.

"_Nkose_! It is time for us to leave now," called out Ujojo. "Your
people will be here directly."

"Good, Ujojo. After the war, all those who have guarded me shall have
five cows apiece for to-day's work. Now go!"

"_Nkose! Baba_!" they shouted with hand uplifted. Then they went.

"I'm thinking out our best plan, Father," said Lamont. "If we show
ourselves too soon we might get shot in mistake for Matabele. The only
thing is to--"

"Give it the schepsels, give it 'em! Give 'em hell!" sung out a voice
just beneath. And renewed firing broke forth, presumably on the rear of
the retreating guards.

"That's Peters," pronounced Lamont. "Ahoy, there! Peters!" he
bellowed.

Peters stood stock-still for a moment--stared--listened. "It's him!" he
roared. "It's him! Wyndham. Here! we've found him! We came out to do
it--and--we've done it. How are you, my dear old chap," as the quondam
prisoner and invalid emerged from his late prison and hospital, walking
with surprising vigour. "Oh, but this is too good, too darn good for
anything!"

"Let go, Peters. Dash it, man, you hurt," cried Lamont, ruefully
contemplating his half-crushed knuckles. "Or turn some of it on to
Father Mathias here. His doctoring skill has pulled me round, I can
tell you."

"How are you, sir. Delighted to see you again," went on Peters. "We
came out to find Lamont. Swore we wouldn't go back till we had. Isn't
that so, boys?"

"Rather," answered the others, who had come up. "How are you, captain,"
and "Glad to see you safe and sound," and a dozen other hearty greetings
were showered upon him.

"Peters," he said in a low tone, drawing him apart. "What news?--You
know."

"I can't give you any, Lamont, beyond the day you disappeared. You see
we came straight away from Kezane. Miss Vidal was marvellously plucky,
but not a man jack of us but could see she was half broken-hearted. She
wanted to come with us."

"Did she?" said the other huskily.

"Didn't she! Well, of course that wouldn't do. She went back to
Gandela."

"And I'm going to do ditto--to-night. You can raise me a horse,
Peters?"

"No, I can't; and I wouldn't if I could. By the way, have you any idea
where you are?"

"Now I think of it, I haven't."

"Eastern end of the Matopo. So you see the sort of country--and the
extent of it--between this and Gandela. And it just swarms with
rebels."

Lamont admitted the sense of this, but it was h