you doing, son," he asked in an angry voice, "talking to this
black devil here alone among the dead? Stand aside and let me settle him
if you have not the heart," and he lifted his gun.

"No, father," said Ralph, pushing it aside, "this man is not a Zulu; he
is but a slave-carrier and he has prayed me to spare his life, swearing
that he will serve me faithfully. Also he says that he brings good
luck."

"Certainly he brought good luck to these," answered Jan, pointing to the
scattered dead with his hand, and laughing grimly. "Allemachter! son,
you must be mad to play the fool thus, for doubtless the sneaking
villain will murder you the first time your back is turned. Come, stand
aside and I will finish it."

Now the young man, whose name was Gaasha, seeing that he was about to be
shot, threw himself upon the ground, and clasping Ralph round the knees,
implored for mercy.

"Save me, Baas," he prayed, "save me, and you will always be glad of it,
for I tell you I bring you good luck, I tell you I bring you good luck."

"Father," said Ralph, setting his mouth, "if you kill this Kaffir it
will be a cause of quarrel between us, and we never quarrelled yet."

"Quarrel or no quarrel, he shall die," said Jan in a rage, for he
thought it the strangest folly that Ralph should wish to spare a black
man.

At that moment, however, something seemed to strike his mind, for his
face grew puzzled, and he looked about him almost anxiously.

"Where have I seen it before?" he said, as though he were speaking to
himself. "The veldt all red with blood and sunset, the laager behind
and the Kaffir with the wounded foot holding Ralph by the knees.
Allemachter! I know. It was that day in the _sit-kammer_[*] at the stead
yonder, when the little doctoress, Sihamba, made me look into her eyes;
yes, yes, I have seen it all in the eyes of Sihamba. Well, let the lad
live, for without a doubt Sihamba did not show me this picture that
should be for nothing. Moreover, although I am stupid, as your mother
says, I have learned that there are many things in the world which we
cannot understand but which play a part in our lives nevertheless."

[*] Sitting room.

So the lad Gaasha was brought to the laager, and upon the prayer of Jan
and Ralph, the commandant gave him his life, ordering, however, that he
should sleep outside the waggons.

"Well," I said when I heard the tale, "one thing is, that you will never
see him again, for he will be o