y, and let him look--for then perchance he
shall see me. Begone now, Yellow Dog, to the heels of your master, and
play your part well in the battle, for of what you do or leave undone
you shall give account to me. Say that Mameena sends her greetings to
the Lord Macumazana and that she adds this, that when the Old Man and
the White ones told you that Love is the secret blood of the worlds
which makes them to be they did not lie. Love reigns and I, Mameena, am
its priestess, and the heart of Macumazana is my holy house.'

"Then, Baas, I tumbled off a precipice and woke up here; and, Baas, as
we may not light a fire I have kept some coffee hot for you buried in
warm ashes," and without another word he went to fetch that coffee,
leaving me shaken and amazed.

For what kind of a dream was it which revealed to an old Hottentot all
these mysteries and hidden things about persons whom he had never seen
and of whom I had never spoken to him? My father and my wife Marie might
be explained, for with these he had been mixed up, but how about Stella
and above all Mameena, although of course it was possible that he had
heard of the latter, who made some stir in her time? But to hit her off
as he had done in all her pride, splendour, and dominion of desire!

Well, that was his story which, perhaps fortunately, I lacked time to
analyse or brood upon, since there was much in it calculated to unnerve
a man just entering the crisis of a desperate fray. Indeed a minute or
so later, as I was swallowing the last of the coffee, messengers arrived
about some business, I forget what, sent by Ragnall I think, who had
risen before I woke. I turned to give the pannikin to Hans, but he had
vanished in his snake-like fashion, so I threw it down upon the ground
and devoted my mind to the question raised in Ragnall's message.

Next minute scouts came in who had been watching the camp of the Black
Kendah all night.

These were sleeping not more than half a mile away, in an open place on
the slope of the hill with pickets thrown out round them, intending to
advance upon us, it was said, as soon as the sun rose, since because of
their number they feared lest to march at night should throw them into
confusion and, in case of their falling into an ambush, bring about a
disaster. Such at least was the story of two spies whom our people had
captured.

There had been some question as to whether we should not attempt a night
attack upon their camp, of w