cannot grant bail, Mr Pyle."

"Not grant bail, your worship?"

"No. Not in a case of this nature."

"But there's no more substantial man in the district than the boy's
father, your worship."

"I am far from denying it. But--I cannot grant bail."

Quite an angry murmur ran through the audience at this. But the
magistrate merely looked up.

"Several persons here are committing a very distinct contempt of court,"
he observed coldly. "Remove the prisoner."

The poor little chap kept up bravely till he was out of sight. Then he
broke down and fairly howled.

To do Shattuck justice, his apparent hard-heartedness was not without
motive, for on the rising of the Court--that is to say immediately, for
there were no more cases that day--he asked us to step into his office.

"I am very grieved, Mr Matterson, over the course I have been obliged
to take," he began, stiffly and constrainedly, "but I fully believe I am
serving your best interests in doing as I have done. If the boy were
given back to you now, would not all the Kafirs around, and Kuliso's
people in particular, at once jump to the conclusion that justice had
not been done, and that there was one law for the black and another for
the white? In short, I believe his life would be in hourly danger.
Their demonstration on your farm seems to point that way, doesn't it?
Well now, if they know he is here in prison--I am not going to have him
put in an ordinary cell, by the way--they will be to that extent
satisfied, and it will give any strong feelings time to die down a bit.
The case is out of my hands now. The records will be forwarded
immediately to the Solicitor-General, and of course it rests with him
whether the matter goes any further."

There was sound sense in this, and indeed the magistrate had shown a
consideration we had not expected from him. So we parted good friends,
and rather arriving at the conclusion that Shattuck was not such a bad
sort of fellow after all.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

KULISO'S "GREAT PLACE."

Gonya's kloof seemed no longer the same place. The period of suspense
following upon George's committal told upon all of us, seeming to cast a
gloom over everything, damping our spirits. Of myself especially did
this hold good, for Beryl was no longer there. She and Iris had
remained in Fort Lamport after the preliminary examination staying with
friends, and we three men were alone.

What a difference it made! During the mon