Part 22 (1/2)

”No? Well, you shall be But I don't think you require h the Makanya bush alone”

That allusion again Denham felt a droop all of a sudden Yet it was only momentary He had been alone with Verna practically the whole day

Ben Halse had not returned for the ether alone, the situation had set hi opposite him, as in that plain, rather pri

Their way lay upward, the track so narrow in parts that they had to ride one behind the other, an arrangement fatal to conversation, for you cannot conveniently shout back over your shoulder Now it led through soht of the sun, and the green depths were stirred by mysterious noises; now up a rocky steep, but ever at a foot's pace Verna was leading the way, and the other was adure, sitting her horse so perfectly and gracefully; and though the surrounding bush was teee life, dear to the naturalist, this one, for once, forgot to notice it, so engrossed was he in the conte you,” said the latter at last ”We'll hitch up the horses here and walk the rest of the path”

They had ee A short clireat naturalin a tooth-shaped rock which overlooked a vast, tu and valley and crater

Forest and open country lay spread out beneath, extending away in billowy roll for miles upon miles into dim, misty distance

”By Jove! but it's splendid!” cried Denhaazed out over this

”I vote we sit here a bit and look at it”

”I thought you'd like it,” she answered ”Yes, let's have a rest”

They sat doithin the great rock-, drinking in the splendid air, the world, as it were, at their feet But somehow, and all of a sudden, a constraint, a silence, seemed to have fallen between theround whatever, still it was there all the same Could it be that by so the sa? and that each knew that the other knew it? For there existed a tremendous mutual ”draw” between these two, and yet they had only known each other a few days

Then by some equally sudden and unaccountable phase of telepathy the constraint was mutually broken The same idea had come into both theirtake a hold on thean to point out various land fro to a particularly tue of hills about six miles off

”That's where Sapazani's kraal is We'll ride over some day and pay him a visit Hoould you like that?”

”Very much indeed I'd like to study these fellows a bit They see By the way, do you knohat I've done, Miss Halse?”

”What?”

”Why, I've buried myself I mean that I've put myself clean out of communication with the old country, except on the part of one confidential man in my business, and even he can't co a change?”

”Quite good But what about the business side of it?”

”Oh, that's all right I've thoroughly fixed up all that But it's rather a joke, you know, effecting a coood deal about hiotistically, of his early struggles, of his now assured position, of many an incident and more than one crisis in his life To all of which she listened with vivid interest, with appreciation and sy you, I'm afraid--” he broke off

”No, indeed I am very much interested What a hole and corner sort of life reat puzzle to me?”--he had nearly said ”Verna”

”Yes Why?”

”You , from the way in which you talk How on earth did you pick it up?--and you say you have never been outside Natal, except to the Rand”