them down in a canoe, and dumped them at the door, telling the watchman that they had been paid to deliver them there by some other natives whom they met a long way up the river.  Then they went away without leaving any letter or message.  Well, I thanked Aston and paid his charges and there’s an end of the matter.  Those fifty-three cases are now in the hold invoiced as ore samples and, as I inspected them myself and am sure that they have not been tampered with, besides the value of the necklace the Asika gave me we’ve got L100,000 to begin our married life upon with something over for old Jeekie, and I daresay we shall do very well on that.”

“Yes, Alan, very well indeed.”  Then she reflected a while, for the mention of Jeekie’s name seemed to have made her thoughtful, and added, “Alan, what do you think became of Lord Aylward?”

“I am sure I don’t know.  Jeekie and I and some of the porters went to see the Old Calabar officials and made affidavits as to the circumstances of his disappearance.  We couldn’t do any more, could we?”

“No, Alan.  But do you think that Jeekie quite understands the meaning of an oath?  I mean it seems so strange that we should never have found the slightest trace of him, and, Alan, I don’t know if you noticed it, but why did Jeekie appear that morning wearing Lord Aylward’s socks and boots?”

“He ought to know all about oaths, he has heard enough of them in Magistrates’ Courts, but as regards the boots, I am sure I can’t say, dear,” answered Alan uneasily.  “Here he comes, we will ask him,” and he did.

“Sock and boot,” replied Jeekie, with a surprised air, “why, Mrs. Major, if that good lord go mad and cut off into forest leaving them behind, of course I put them on, as they no more use to him, and I just burn my dirty old Asiki dress and sandal and got nothing to keep jigger out of toe.  Don’t you sit up here in this damp, cold, Mrs. Major, else you get more fever.  You go down and dress dinner, which at half-past six to-night.  I just come tell you that.”

So Barbara went, leaving the other two talking about various matters, for they were alone together on the deck, all the passengers, of whom there were but few, having gone below.

The short African twilight had come, a kind of soft blue haze that made the ship look mysterious and unnatural.  By degrees their conversation died away.  They lapsed into a silence, which Alan was the first to break.

“What are you thinking of, Jeekie?” he asked nervously.

“Thinking of Asika, Major,” he answered in a scared whisper.  “Seem to me that she about somewhere, just as she use pop up in room in Gold House; seem to me I feel her all down my back, likewise in head wool, which stand up.”

“It’s very odd, Jeekie,” replied Alan, “but so do I.”

“Well, Major, ’spect she thinking of us, specially of you, and just throw what she think at us, like boy throw stones at bird what fly away out of cage.  Asika do all that, you know, she not quite human, full of plenty Bonsa devil, from gen’ration to gen’rations, amen!  P’raps she just find out something what make her mad.”