ng at her
side, and felt the hand which she had outstretched to find her, pressed
against her cheek. But now there was a new sense of comfort in her
heart, for she believed that without any doubt she had seen her husband,
and that although they were separated, still the day would come when
they should meet again, not in the spirit but in the flesh.

Now I, Suzanne Botmar, who tell this tale, had scarcely left Ralph's
room upon that very night and laid myself down upon the settle when he
called to me. I ran back to the bed to find him sitting up in it wide
awake and calm-eyed.

"Mother," he said, for so he still named me, "did you see Suzanne?"

"Hush, Ralph," I answered, "you are talking foolishly; wherever Suzanne
may be, alas! she is not here."

"She was here just now," he said, smiling, "for we have been talking
together. She has escaped from Swart Piet and is unharmed, but a
prisoner among the Kaffirs. And, mother, she and I will meet again upon
a great mountain like a fortress, which has ridges on its eastern side
resembling the thumb and fingers of a man, and a stream of water gushing
out between the thumb and first finger."

"Doubtless, doubtless," I said, for I saw that he was wandering in his
mind.

"Ah!" Ralph answered, "you do not believe me, but it is true. I tell you
that I saw Suzanne just now wearing a fine kaross of tiger skins upon
her shoulders, and that she kissed me on the forehead," and even as
he spoke he sank into a deep and quiet sleep, and when he awoke in the
morning we found that the fever had left him and that he was out of
danger of his life.

CHAPTER XXII

THE WAR OF THE CLEAN SPEAR

When Sihamba arose next day, Suzanne asked her if the home of her
people, the Umpondwana, was a great mountain faced round with slab-sided
precipices and having ridges on its eastern face like to the thumb and
fingers of a hand, with a stream of water gushing from between the thumb
and first finger, upon the banks of which grew flat-topped trees with
thick green leaves and white flowers.

Sihamba stared at her, saying:

"Such is the place indeed, and there are no trees like to those you
speak of to be found anywhere else. The maidens use the flowers of them
to adorn their hair, and from the leaves is made a salve that is very
good for wounds. But, say, Swallow, who told you about the mountain
Umpondwana that is so far away, since I never described it to you?"

"Nobody told me," she answe