is aspect to make Emson
smile faintly, and then close his eyes.

That brought back Dyke to the responsibilities of his position, and he
sprang up.

"Here! I've been letting you talk too much while you're so weak," he
cried excitedly.

Emson's lips parted to speak, but his brother laid a hand upon them.

"No," he said, "you mustn't: you'll have to get stronger first; and I've
got to feed you up, old chap."

Just at that moment a dark shadow crossed the doorway, and Tanta Sal's
black face appeared looking in.

"Baas no go die," she said. "Jack tief. Baas Joe go get well. Look!"

She held out a rough basket, in which were half-a-dozen new-laid eggs.

"Jack find eggs," said Tanta. "Do so."

She took one egg, gave it a tap, deftly broke the shell in two halves,
let the white run out, and swallowed the yolk like an oyster.

"Here, hold hard!" cried Dyke angrily. "You mustn't do that."

"No. Tant mussen. Jack find eggs, do so. Jack tief."

"Well, I'm glad I know where the eggs went," said Dyke, taking the
remainder. "I thought our hens ought to lay some. But why didn't you
tell us before?"

"Jack say killum," replied the woman. "Baas Joe hungry?"

"Not yet; I'll see to him," said Dyke, dismissing the woman, and he
turned now to his brother with a strange dread creeping over him, for
Emson lay back with his eyes closed, looking utterly exhausted, and as
if the awakening from the long stage of delirium were only the
flickering of the light of life in its socket. But by degrees Dyke
realised that it was the fever that had burned out, and Emson had only
fallen asleep--a restfully, calm sleep, from which he did not awaken
till toward evening, when Dyke shivered with apprehension of the
terrible attack that would come on about that time.

But there was no attack, and after talking feebly in a whisper, the
invalid partook of a little food, then lay watching the glow in the
west, and soon went off to sleep again as calmly as an infant. "It's
all right," cried Dyke excitedly; "all I ought to do now is to keep on
feeding him up with good, strengthening things, given a little at a
time. I believe I was cut out for a doctor after all."

He stood watching the sleeper for a few minutes, thinking of how
perfectly helpless the strong man had become, and then a thought
occurred to him. In an hour's time the guinea-fowl would be coming to
roost in the trees beyond the kopje, and a couple of these stewed down