ven by the
firing of a great pile of reeds. Also many other things were done upon
which I need not enter.

Then came the time for us to depart to the appointed spot over twenty
miles away, most of which distance it seemed we could trek in the
waggon. Captain Robertson, who for the time had cut off his gin, was
as active about the affair as though he were once more in command of a
mail-steamer. Nothing escaped his attention; indeed, in the care which
he gave to details he reminded me of the captain of a great ship that
is leaving port, and from it I learned how able a man he must once have
been.

"Does your daughter accompany us?" I asked on the night before we
started.

"Oh! no," he answered, "she would only be in the way. She will be quite
safe here, especially as Thomaso, who is no hunter, remains in charge
of the place with some of the older natives to look after the women and
children."

Later I saw Inez herself, who said that she would have liked to come,
although she hated to see great beasts killed, but that her father was
against it because he thought she might catch fever. So she supposed
that she had better remain where she was.

I agreed, though in my heart I was doubtful, and said that I would leave
Hans, whose foot was not as yet quite well, and with whom she had made
friends as she had done with Umslopogaas, to look after her. Also there
would be with him the two great Zulus who were now recovering from their
attack of stomach sickness, so that she would have nothing to fear. She
answered with her slow smile that she feared nothing, still, she would
have liked to come with us. Then we parted, as it proved for a long
time.

It was quite a ceremony. Umslopogaas, "in the name of the Axe" solemnly
gave over Inez to the charge of his two followers, bidding them guard
her with so much earnestness that I began to suspect he feared something
which he did not choose to mention. My mind went back indeed to the
prophecy of the witch-doctor Goroko, of which it was possible that he
might be thinking, but as while he spoke he kept his fierce eyes fixed
upon the fat and pompous quarter-breed, Thomaso, I concluded that here
was the object of his doubts.

It might have occurred to him that this Thomaso would take the
opportunity of her father's absence to annoy Inez. If so I was sure that
he was mistaken for various reasons, of which I need only quote one,
namely, that even if such an idea had ever entered his he