anything, concluded that I must
have been mistaken. It was a darkish night, the moon not having
yet risen.

Another minute passed, when suddenly something round fell with
a soft but heavy thud upon the stone flooring of the veranda,
and came bounding and rolling along past me. For a moment I
did not rise, but sat wondering what it could be. Finally, I
concluded it must have been an animal. Just then, however, another
idea struck me, and I got up quick enough. The thing lay quite
still a few feet beyond me. I put down my hand towards it and
it did not move: clearly it was not an animal. My hand touched
it. It was soft and warm and heavy. Hurriedly I lifted it and
held it up against the faint starlight.

_It was a newly severed human head!_

I am an old hand and not easily upset, but I own that that ghastly
sight made me feel sick. How had the thing come there? Whose
was it? I put it down and ran to the little doorway. I could
see nothing, hear nobody. I was about to go out into the darkness
beyond, but remembering that to do so was to expose myself to
the risk of being stabbed, I drew back, shut the door, and bolted it.
Then I returned to the veranda, and in as careless a voice as
I could command called Curtis. I fear, however, that my tones
must have betrayed me, for not only Sir Henry but also Good and
Mackenzie rose from the table and came hurrying out.

'What is it?' said the clergyman, anxiously.

Then I had to tell them.

Mr Mackenzie turned pale as death under his red skin. We were
standing opposite the hall door, and there was a light in it
so that I could see. He snatched the head up by the hair and
held it against the light.

'It is the head of one of the men who accompanied Flossie,' he
said with a gasp. 'Thank God it is not hers!'

We all stood and stared at each other aghast. What was to be done?

Just then there was a knocking at the door that I had bolted,
and a voice cried, 'Open, my father, open!'

The door was unlocked, and in sped a terrified man. He was one
of the spies who had been sent out.

'My father,' he cried, 'the Masai are on us! A great body of
them have passed round the hill and are moving towards the old
stone kraal down by the little stream. My father, make strong
thy heart! In the midst of them I saw the white ass, and on
it sat the Water-lily [Flossie]. An Elmoran [young warrior]
led the ass, and by its side walked the nurse weeping. The men
who