By the way, the post has come."

"Post? See here. Who are you getting at, Glanton? Post!"

"Not at anybody. Here's a letter, from your aunt I believe."

"By Jove! I thought you were humbugging. Oh well, that'll keep--till
after scoff at any rate, and I'm starving."

I had made up my mind to say nothing to him of Aida Sewin's letter
unless his own communication should contain some reference to it. Soon
he was in dry clothes, and the klipspringer was sizzling on the fire,
which the boys had managed to shelter ingeniously with the aid of some
stones and a bit of old sail. Then, in a trice, the grill being ready,
we fell to with a will, seated on the edge of the _kartel_, our metal
plates in our laps, and the rain splashing down upon the waggon tent,
while we were warm and dry, if somewhat cramped, within.

"This is jolly and snug, and no mistake," pronounced Falkner, "and
grilled klipspringer makes right radiant scoff. Here, put the bottle
across--it's on your side. And I say, Glanton, I came across a devilish
rum thing to-day--a devilish nasty thing. It turned me quite sick, 'pon
my word it did. By the way, what were you blazing at soon after we
parted? I heard a couple of shots."

"Oh, it was another klipspringer. But a mere snap, not a fair chance,"
I answered, not intending to let him into my secret experience. "What
was it you came across?" I went on, feeling rather curious, for he had
turned quite serious, as though impressed by some very unpleasant
recollection.

"Why! it was about two hours away from here, or might have been rather
more--this afternoon just after I'd boned that reebok--a nice clear shot
he gave me--a longish one too. Well, away beyond the second line of
krantzes over that side, we stumbled suddenly upon a small kraal, where
they were none too civil--didn't seem the least glad to see us, to put
it mildly. Well, we didn't stop, but as we moved on they objected to us
going the way we wanted, and in fact the way we eventually came. I
rather lost my temper, for they became beastly bumptious, you know, and
at one time made as if they'd try to prevent us."

"You didn't get punching any of their heads, I hope," I interrupted,
rather sharply.

"No, no. But upon my soul I felt inclined to. First of all they began
lying about there being no road there, and so forth, but I knew they
were lying, so made up my mind to go that way. Jan Boom didn't want to
either--and those two boys