Part 18 (1/2)

”No, no We mustn't see a revolver into our right hand pockets, in case of accidents

We'll talk to them here”

We went inside and quickly loaded a revolver apiece At a word froot down her own pistol, loaded it, and tranquilly pocketed it Poor little Iris was looking very scared, but was quite quiet

”Keep these children entirely out of sight, Beryl,” enjoined her father, ”and it'll be no har the _indaba_

There ; but it won't co worse, so don't be scared, any of you”

”I wish Brian were here, father,” said Beryl anxiously

”So do I, but he isn't And if ever you've known of a situation in which Brian has proved unable to take care of his, which had been walking up and down outside, growling, now broke into such a claed furiously down upon the advancing Kafirs as the foreht round the bend of the cattle kraal, and would hardly be called off, even by their master's most imperative tones, aided by two or three kerries shi+ed at thely and dangerous mood which was upon our unwelcoot the whole of Kuliso's location,” said Septi upon us The kloof indeed seemed black with Kafirs Those who had horses disht of the house, and the whole body of theured the worst

It was a tense moment Our unpleasantness with the people at the kraal on our way in pursuit of the stolen oxen was nothing to this for a situation There , ochre-santic stature, all with an expression of e faces Others, too, were co on in the distance to swell their numbers My hand was closed round the butt of the revolver in my pocket I looked at Septi, cal rout

CHAPTER TWENTY

A FELL ALTERNATIVE

”Halt!”

Septimus Matterson put forth his hand and uttered just the one word, and the effect was like fire applied to the train A roar of h the whole crowd A forest of dark grisly hands seeais were shaken at us; but the injunction was obeyed The fore up in the background, for an immense half circle

”We have come for the boy He must die He has slain two of our sons-- and they are of the House of Kuliso He otiations were opened Now I had been studying the Xosa tongue rather diligently since I had been at Gonya's Kloof, and had acquired quite a s of it Septimus Matterson, of course, spoke it perfectly

”Were they of the house of the chief?” he said ”But where is Kuliso?”

”Bring out the boy,” they roared in response ”Hehiu_, or it will be the worse for all of you”

”Hear now, _a was an accident, entirely an accident, and for it I willto your custom Retire now and carry my word to Kuliso and his _amapakati_, for surely I see no ured the worst The wily chiefs could plead afterwards that any outrage that ht occur was the work of an irresponsible ain

”Compensation? Not so Blood for blood A life for a life--or rather for two lives That is the word of the people And the two lives were of the house of the chief Bring out the boy Bring hirew louder and louder, and the ferocious crowd closed in upon us nearer and nearer Sticks were brandished, and I could see ai all ready for a cast It was a fearfulupon a hair-- and worse, for e struck down or assegaied, would these barbarians, in the fury of their blood lust, spare one living being within that house?

”Shall we get inside and shoot?” I said hurriedly and in a low tone, without turning ood that way The bluster u_,” called out one great voice ”If the boy is not handed over to us immediately, ill take him But first of all ill kill all here”

”You will have to do that first, Sibuko,” was the stern reply, ”and in doing it many of yourselves will die”